On its age, its old homes and the National Register, St. Marys is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #60 of 151 in Kansas. 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. Marys’ 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 St. Marys’ 3.6 sits near the middle of its state (42% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.5 points). Two sources give 1866.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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. Marys’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
St. Marys was laid out as a community in 1866. It was named after the St. Mary's Mission.
The oldest surviving mission building is the Pottawatomie Indian Pay Station which was built in 1855 and was used by government agents to pay an annuity to the Pottawatomie Indians who relocated to the area from the Great Lakes region. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
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.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Keating Mobile Home ParkSaint Marys
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about St. Marys’ history
What year was St. Marys founded?
In 1866, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. St. Marys’ post office opened in 1878, and the census of 1880 counted 884 people here.
How does St. Marys rank for history?
St. Marys is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #60 of 151 in Kansas. 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. Marys?
One place: the Verschelden Funeral Home (listed 2025).
How old are the homes in St. Marys?
33% of St. Marys’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (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) 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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