Most of Spring Hill Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 9 buildings. Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Spring Hill Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Spring Hill Township is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Spring Hill Township’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 Spring Hill Township’s 49.0 sits above most of its state (91% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1856.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Spring Hill Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1856, James B. Hovey named the community after a town near Mobile, Alabama. "Being somewhat enthusiastic in my estimation of its future, it having all advantages of timber and water, and on a line that must be traveled between Olathe and Paola, I concluded to myself, as there was no one else to conclude with, that this was a good place for a town." – J.B. Hovey, 1857 Hovey served as the communities first postmaster. Also that year, Hovey built the first building in town, the Spring Hill Hotel. The two-story structure, also known as the "Old Traveler's Rest", was located on the highest elevation in town.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Spring Hill Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1956Ocheltree 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 Spring Hill Township.
On the National Register
2 listings protect 10 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 1856, according to Wikidata. Spring Hill Township’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1880 counted 502 people here.
How does Spring Hill Township rank for history?
Spring Hill Township is more historic than 47% 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.
What is on the National Register in Spring Hill Township?
Two places: the Ensor Farm (listed 2004) and the George L. Morrow Barn (2024).
How old are the homes in Spring Hill Township?
3% of Spring Hill Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
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