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History · Morrill Township

Morrill Township’s post office opened in 1870, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1890.

1870first post office
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Morrill Township began, and where its name came from

When was Morrill Township founded?

1870

The Morrill Township post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 308 in 18902020 census: 491156 years

How did Morrill Township get its name?

Morrill Township was named for Kansas governor Edmund Needham Morrill.

Founding year: the first Morrill Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Morrill 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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18885 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1990. Watch Morrill Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 552 in 1920; 218 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Morrill Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Morrill Township on the map, 1888 to 1990

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

Morrill Township on the 1888 USGS mapMorrill Township on the 1894 USGS mapMorrill Township on the 1959 USGS mapMorrill Township on the 1985 USGS mapMorrill Township on the 1990 USGS map1888Hiawatha sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Morrill Township, census by census

01002003004005006001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 552

Peaked at 552 in 1920; 218 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Morrill Township’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Morrill Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Morrill Township.

Read it all →

Morrill was laid out in 1878 when the St. Joseph and Western Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Kansas governor Edmund Needham Morrill.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Morrill Township, 1887 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887In the archiveMeacham's illustrated atlas of Brown and Nemaha counties, Kansas
  3. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 552
By decade

Morrill Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s1 item
Meacham's illustrated atlas of Brown and Nemaha counties, Kansas1887Meacham's illustrated atlas of Brown and Nemaha count…Map
1890s–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
Today1 recent
KSMap-doton-Morrill2004KSMap-doton-Morrill
Famous people

Famous people close to Morrill Township

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

See all →
Dave HeinemanAmerican politician · b. 1948
Tod D. WoltersAmerican Air Force general · b. 1960
Bernard W. RogersFormer Chief of Staff of the United States Army · b. 1921
Arthur J. WeaverAmerican politician · b. 1873
C. Frank ReavisAmerican politician · b. 1870
J
John McLendonAmerican basketball coach · b. 1915
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Sabetha1 historic placeBHamlin Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBerwick Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWalnut TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Morrill Township’s history

What year was Morrill Township founded?

The Morrill Township post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.