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History · South Haven Township

South Haven Township’s post office opened in 1871, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1890 on and the census since 1880.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How South Haven Township began

When was South Haven Township founded?

1871

The South Haven Township post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 124 in 18802020 census: 524155 years
Founding year: the first South Haven Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about South Haven 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 writtenNo old photos of South Haven Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18903 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1985. Watch South Haven Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 483 in 1910; 324 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of South Haven Township’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start South Haven Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

South Haven Township on the map, 1890 to 1985

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

South Haven Township on the 1890 USGS mapSouth Haven Township on the 1965 USGS mapSouth Haven Township on the 1985 USGS map1890Wellington 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 South Haven Township.

People over time

South Haven Township, census by census

010020030040050018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 483

Peaked at 483 in 1910; 324 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How South Haven Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of South Haven Township.

Read it all →

South Haven was founded in 1872, and was named after South Haven, Michigan. The railroad reached South Haven in 1879.

Unlike other paired towns in Kansas that are located adjacent to one another (e.g. Newton and North Newton or Hutchinson and South Hutchinson), South Haven is about 80 miles from Haven.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

South Haven Township, decade by decade

Today5 recent
BUGX SD9 no. 1552 (ex-BNSF SD9 1552) on March 30, 20242024BUGX SD9 no. 1552 (ex-BNSF SD9 1552) on March 30, 2024US 177 northern terminus2009US 177 northern terminusUs177nend2006Us177nendUs166wend2006Us166wendKSMap-doton-South Haven2005KSMap-doton-South Haven
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Olive SchoolschoolSouth Haven Oil Fieldoilfield
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside South Haven Township
GoodelRose Hill

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.

Guelph TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFalls TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townJackson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about South Haven Township’s history

What year was South Haven Township founded?

The South Haven Township post office opened in 1871, 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 (5), 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.