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History · Sharon Springs

Sharon Springs dates to 1868, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1979 on, and the census since 1890.

1868founded
0on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sharon Springs’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sharon Springs began

When was Sharon Springs founded?

1868

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

First census: 178 in 18902020 census: 751158 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1886.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sharon Springs’ 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’ homes were built before 1962.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sharon Springs’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sharon Springs’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, 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’ Wikipedia page.

The story

How Sharon Springs came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sharon Springs.

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, 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 is established
  3. 1886Post officeThe Sharon Springs post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1917In the archiveKansas - Sharin Springs
  6. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,012
  7. 1979On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1980In the archiveTreasure Chest
By decade

Sharon Springs, 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 Chest1980Treasure Chest
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 on the map, 1979 to 1985

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

Sharon Springs on the 1979 USGS mapSharon Springs on the 1985 USGS map1979Sharon Springs West sheet · 1:24,000

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.

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’ page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Sharon Springs

Nobody well known was born in Sharon Springs 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

Questions about Sharon Springs’ history

What year was Sharon Springs founded?

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

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), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.