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History · South Haven

South Haven’s post office opened in 1871, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

1871first post office
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Photo: Scott Nazelrod · Public domain
Quick answers

How South Haven began

When was South Haven founded?

1871

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

2020 census: 324155 years
Founding year: the first South Haven post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about South Haven’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 are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of South Haven’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start South Haven’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How South Haven came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of South Haven.

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, 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

Questions about South Haven’s history

What year was South Haven founded?

The South Haven 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 →
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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, 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.