From Silver Lake’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Silver Lake began, and where its name came from
When was Silver Lake founded?
1855
The Silver Lake post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1868. Another post office, Hallet (1855), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 159 in 18702020 census: 1,345171 years
How did Silver Lake get its name?
Silver Lake was named from the lake upon which it was situated.
How historic is Silver Lake?
C+
More historic than 41% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Silver Lake is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Silver Lake’s overall grade.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Silver Lake’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±22.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1868 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Silver Lake’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Silver Lake was founded in 1868. It was named from the lake upon which it was situated. In the spring of 1871, the city of Silver Lake was incorporated.
In 1911, a new six room brick school building replaced the original two room structure and the first high school class was organized. In 1928, that building became the elementary school. In 1952, the high school burned and a new high school was completed in 1953. In 1961, a new elementary school was completed.
In 1928, a two-lane hard-surfaced road was completed through the city. It was later known as US Highway 40 and later became US Highway 24.
Passages that mention Silver Lake, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Shawnee County, Kansas1905 · page 604Read the page →
Read the text
Mr. Fowler was reared a farmer and carried on agricultural pursuits in Washington County, Indiana, for a period of 48 years. In 1873 he came to Silver Lake township, Shawnee County, Kansas, buying a farm of 160 acres. This he operated for the next 23 years and then retired from active life, taking up his residence in a pleasant home on the corner of Walnut street and Railroad avenue, in the village of Silver Lake. He retains a very valuable tract of 30 acres within a half mile of the town, which he has under rental.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Shawnee County, Kansas1905 · page 29Read the page →
Read the text
the south; Williamsport, from Auburn, on the east; and the new territory acquired on the north of the river erected into the township of Soldier. The change of county lines in 1868 made necessary another division into townships, Silver Lake being detached from Soldier. By another change, in 1871, Rossville was set off from Silver Lake, on the west. In 1879 Mencken township was set oft' from Silver Lake, on the east. The permanent arrangement of townships is: Rossville, Silver Lake, Menoken and Soldier, on the north side of the river ; Dover, Mission, Topeka, Topeka City, Tecum-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Silver Lake, 1855 to 1973
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Silver Lake’s post office has been open since 1855. Another post office, Hallet, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hallet
1855–1855
Silver Lake
1855–today
18501940today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Silver Lake’s history
What year was Silver Lake founded?
The Silver Lake post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1868.
How does Silver Lake rank for history?
Silver Lake is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Silver Lake?
23% of Silver Lake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±22.9 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1972.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1958
1958
Date?
2009
