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A−History
History · Sterling

Sterling’s post office opened in 1871, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Sterling Free Public Carnegie Library, the Cooper Hall and the Shay Building.

1871first post office
3on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
10famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Sterling began

When was Sterling founded?

1871

The Sterling post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Peace (1872), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

2020 census: 2,248155 years

How historic is Sterling?

A−

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

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

What drives Sterling’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sterling is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sterling’s overall grade.
Founding era1871, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194037.6% of homes (±9.3) · typical KS town 10.3% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register3 listings, 12.4 per 10,000 residents · typical KS town 5.1 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 76%
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 Sterling’s 12.4 sits above most of its state (68% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±9.3 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 Sterling’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 Sterling are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Sterling’s homes were built before 1955.Famous sons and daughtersAlexander Pearson, Jr., Beulah Armstrong and 8 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sterling’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sterling’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 Sterling came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sterling.

Read it all →

Sterling was founded in 1872, originally called Peace for Mr. Ninde, a Quaker. In 1876, the name was changed to Sterling, by two brothers after their father Sterling Rosan.

In the 1890s, Jonathan S. Dillon sold groceries at his general store in Sterling. Later in 1913, he opened his first J.S. Dillon Cash Food Market in Hutchinson. Later he expanded into the Dillons grocery supermarket chain.

In the 1970s, Sterling was considered a national "Broomcorn Capital."

ChaptersHistoric places

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Famous people

10 famous people were born in Sterling

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

See all →
A
Alexander Pearson, Jr.American aviator · b. 1895
B
Beulah ArmstrongAmerican mathematician · b. 1895
D
Doris FleesonAmerican journalist and columnist · b. 1901
K
Kathryn GardnerAmerican judge · b. 1956
M
Martin PenceAmerican judge · b. 1904
M
Monte BennettPlayer of American football · b. 1959
Timeline

Sterling, 1871 to 1956

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Sterling post office opens
  3. 1872Post officeThe Peace post office opens
  4. 1876Post officeThe Peace post office closes
  5. 1881BuiltShay Building is built
  6. 1895Born hereAlexander Pearson, Jr. is born here
  7. 1895Born hereBeulah Armstrong is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1901Born hereDoris Fleeson is born here
  10. 1910BuiltCooper Hall is built
  11. 1917BuiltSterling Free Public Carnegie Library is built
  12. 1956Born hereKathryn Gardner is born here
By decade

Sterling, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Dillons Old Sign2025Dillons Old SignDetailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapKSMap-doton-Sterling2005KSMap-doton-Sterling
On the National Register

3 historic places in Sterling

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Cooper Hall
Sterling Free Public Carnegie Library, built 1917Cooper Hall, built 1910Shay Building, built 1881
Buildings
Sterling Free Public Carnegie LibraryBuilt 1917
All 3 listings
Cooper HallBuilding · listed 1974Shay BuildingBuilding · listed 2010

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Sterling’s post office has been open since 1871. Another post office, Peace, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Sterling
1871–today
Peace
1872–1876
18701950today

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

Questions about Sterling’s history

What year was Sterling founded?

The Sterling post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Sterling rank for history?

Sterling is more historic than 76% 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 Sterling?

Three places: the Sterling Free Public Carnegie Library (listed 1987), the Cooper Hall (1974) and the Shay Building (2010).

How old are the homes in Sterling?

38% of Sterling’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.3 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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.