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History · Sedan

Sedan’s post office opened in 1871, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Bradford Hotel. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1899 on.

1871first post office
1on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Sedan began

When was Sedan founded?

1871

The Sedan post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,000155 years
Founding year: the first Sedan post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Sedan’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.Old housesHalf of Sedan’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sedan’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAmos Bert and Mattie Christerson: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Sedan came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sedan.

Read it all →

Sedan was founded in 1871. The city was named in commemoration of the 1870 Battle of Sedan. In 1875, it was chosen as the county seat. Sedan was incorporated as a city in 1876.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Sedan, 1871 to 1955

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Sedan post office opens
  3. 1886Born hereWalter Ferguson is born here
  4. 1898Born hereEmmett Kelly is born here
  5. 1899In the archiveAmos Bert and Mattie Christerson
  6. 20th century
  7. 1905BuiltBradford Hotel is built
  8. 1946Born hereVal Schierling is born here
  9. 1955Born hereCharlie Weatherbie is born here
By decade

Sedan, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s1 item
Amos Bert and Mattie Christerson1899Amos Bert and Mattie Christerson
1900s–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
Today4 recent
Sedan Kansas2013Sedan KansasDetailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapMap of Chautauqua Co, Ks, USA2005Map of Chautauqua Co, Ks, USAMapKSMap-doton-Sedan2004KSMap-doton-Sedan
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.

Amos Bert and Mattie Christerson
Retake this viewAmos Bert and Mattie Christerson, 1899

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Sedan

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2007
Bradford Hotel
Bradford Hotel, built 1905
Buildings
Bradford HotelBuilt 1905

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Sedan

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Emmett KellyAmerican clown · b. 1898
C
Charlie WeatherbieAmerican college football player, college footb… · b. 1955
W
Walter FergusonAmerican politician · b. 1886
V
Val SchierlingAmerican basketball · b. 1946

Questions about Sedan’s history

What year was Sedan founded?

The Sedan post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Sedan?

One place: the Bradford Hotel (listed 2007).

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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.