Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to McPherson Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · McPherson Township

The history of McPherson Township

Below: 4 old photos and papers and maps from 1959 on.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From McPherson Township’s archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about McPherson Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start McPherson Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how McPherson Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSwedish Lutheran Church: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

McPherson Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of McPherson Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

McPherson Township is one of the thirteen townships of Sherman County, Kansas, United States. The population was 52 at the 2000 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 41 to 44 (+7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

McPherson Township, 1912 to 1959

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1912In the archiveSwedish Lutheran Church
  3. 1941In the archiveGlobe Oil refinery
  4. 1959On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

McPherson Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1940s4 items
Swedish Lutheran Church1912Swedish Lutheran ChurchGlobe Oil refinery1941Globe Oil refineryOil well derricks and pumps in Moundridge area near McPherson, Kansas1941Oil well derricks and pumps in Moundridge area near M…Oil well derricks and pumps in Moundridge area near McPherson, Kansas1941Oil well derricks and pumps in Moundridge area near M…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
Two Coca-Cola signs dominate one side of the 1888 McPherson Opera House2021Two Coca-Cola signs dominate one side of the 1888 McP…This roadside fellow advertises a chimney and stone business2021This roadside fellow advertises a chimney and stone b…This bronze monument2021This bronze monument
On the map

McPherson Township on the map, 1959 to 1979

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of McPherson Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

McPherson Township on the 1959 USGS mapMcPherson Township on the 1979 USGS map1959Horsethief Draw sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of McPherson Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Swedish Lutheran Church
Retake this viewSwedish Lutheran Church, 1912

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on McPherson Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to McPherson Township

Nobody well known was born in McPherson Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Hazel Marguerite SchmollAmerican botanist · b. 1890
Robert P. KerrFilm director, Actor, Screenwriter · b. 1892
Andrew Carl BennettUnited States Navy rear admiral (upper half) an… · b. 1889
Deanell Reece TachaUnited States federal judge · b. 1946
D
Dave JonesAmerican gridiron football player · b. 1947
John Wayne DelehantUnited States federal judge · b. 1890
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Sharon Springs Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStateline TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWeskan TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about McPherson Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From the Library of Congress (7) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.