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Cheyenne County CourthouseCheyenne County Courthouse · Photo: Smallbones · Public domain
B+History
History · St. Francis

St. Francis’ post office opened in 1888, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Cheyenne County Courthouse and the St. Francis City Park.

1888first post office
2on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How St. Francis began

When was St. Francis founded?

1888

The St. Francis post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,263138 years

How historic is St. Francis?

B+

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first St. Francis post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives St. Francis’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, St. Francis is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of St. Francis’ overall grade.
Founding era1888, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194031.0% of homes (±6.6) · typical KS town 10.3% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register2 listings, 16.3 per 10,000 residents · typical KS town 5.1 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 73%
NewerOlder

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 St. Francis’ 16.3 sits above most of its state (75% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 St. Francis’ 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 St. Francis are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of St. Francis’ homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start St. Francis’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how St. Francis’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 St. Francis came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of St. Francis.

Read it all →

St. Francis was founded in 1887. The city may have been named for the wife of its founder.

In June 1903, a total of eight people were killed near St. Francis in a conflict over a cattle fence. The Berry family had taken to cutting the fence to gain access to the road to town. Cattlemen employed by the Dewar Cattle Company came across the family while they were cutting the fence. They attacked, pursuing the settlers to their home. In total, five members of the Berry family were killed along with three cowboys.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

St. Francis, 1888 to 1946

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888Post officeThe Saint Francis post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1925BuiltCheyenne County Courthouse is built
  5. 1933Born hereRonald Evans is born here
  6. 1934BuiltSt. Francis City Park is built
  7. 1934Born hereLee Allen is born here
  8. 1946Born hereMary Hodge is born here
By decade

St. Francis, decade by decade

Today3 recent
St. Francis, Kansas2013St. Francis, KansasSt. Francis, Kansas2013St. Francis, KansasSt. Francis, Kansas Main street (aka) Washington St.) 20042012St. Francis, Kansas Main street (aka) Washington St.)…
On the National Register

2 historic places in St. Francis

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2002
Cheyenne County Courthouse
Cheyenne County Courthouse, built 1925St. Francis City Park, built 1934
BuildingsSites
Cheyenne County CourthouseBuilt 1925
St. Francis City ParkBuilt 1934

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in St. Francis

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Ronald EvansNASA astronaut · b. 1933
L
Lee AllenProfessional wrestler · b. 1934
M
Mary HodgeAmerican politician · b. 1946
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Saint Francis

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about St. Francis’ history

What year was St. Francis founded?

The St. Francis post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does St. Francis rank for history?

St. Francis is more historic than 73% 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 St. Francis?

Two places: the Cheyenne County Courthouse (listed 2002) and the St. Francis City Park (2008).

How old are the homes in St. Francis?

31% of St. Francis’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1955.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.