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Sharon Springs, KansasPhoto: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
History · Sharon Springs Township

Sharon Springs Township dates to 1868, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the East Topeka Junior High School and the Fred and Cora Luttjohann House. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1959 on, and the census since 1890.

1868founded
2on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sharon Springs Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sharon Springs Township began

When was Sharon Springs Township founded?

1868

Sharon Springs Township dates its founding to 1868 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 178 in 18902020 census: 925158 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1886.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sharon Springs 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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,012 in 1970; 751 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Sharon Springs Township’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sharon Springs Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sharon Springs 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 viewKansas - Sharin Springs: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Sharon Springs Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,012

Peaked at 1,012 in 1970; 751 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Sharon Springs Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sharon Springs Township.

Read it all →

Sharon Springs was originally called Eagle Tail station when it was founded in 1868. It was renamed Sharon Springs in 1886, after Sharon Springs, New York. Sharon Springs was incorporated as a city in 1890.

In 2013, the largest sinkhole in Kansas opened north of Sharon Springs. As of December 2013, the sinkhole was approximately 88 feet (27 m) deep and 243 feet (74 m) across.

On April 22, 2022, a high-end EF1 tornado caused severe damage to the city.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Sharon Springs Township, 1868 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868
    FoundingSharon Springs Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1917In the archiveKansas - Sharin Springs
  5. 1937BuiltEast Topeka Junior High School is built
  6. 1959On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,012
  8. 1980In the archiveTreasure Chest, Sharon Springs, Kansas
By decade

Sharon Springs Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s2 items
Kansas - Sharin Springs1917Kansas - Sharin SpringsKansas - Sharin Springs1917Kansas - Sharin Springs
1920s–1970snothing 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
1980s1 item
Treasure Chest, Sharon Springs, Kansas1980Treasure Chest, Sharon Springs, Kansas
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
US - Kansas - Sharon Springs -2005-10-22T102456-52012US - Kansas - Sharon Springs -2005-10-22T102456-5Sharon Springs Kansas Business District 08-20-20112011Sharon Springs Kansas Business District 08-20-2011KSMap-doton-Sharon Springs2005KSMap-doton-Sharon Springs
On the map

Sharon Springs Township on the map, 1959 to 1985

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

Sharon Springs Township on the 1959 USGS mapSharon Springs Township on the 1979 USGS mapSharon Springs Township on the 1985 USGS map1959Weskan 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 Sharon Springs 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.

Kansas - Sharin Springs
Retake this viewKansas - Sharin Springs, 1917

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Sharon Springs Township

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2004
East Topeka Junior High School
East Topeka Junior High School, built 1937Fred and Cora Luttjohann House
Buildings
East Topeka Junior High SchoolBuilt 1937
Fred and Cora Luttjohann HouseBuilding

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Sharon Springs Township

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

See all →
Hazel Marguerite SchmollAmerican botanist · b. 1890
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
N
Nellie M. PayneAmerican entomologist and agricultural chemist · b. 1900
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Walker Strip Airportairport
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sharon Springs Township
FairviewSharon Springs

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Weskan TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWallace Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGreeley County1 historic placeB+McPherson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHarrison TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Sharon Springs Township’s history

What year was Sharon Springs Township founded?

In 1868, according to Wikidata. Sharon Springs Township’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1890 counted 178 people here.

What is on the National Register in Sharon Springs Township?

Two places: the East Topeka Junior High School (listed 2004) and the Fred and Cora Luttjohann House (2004).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (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.