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History · Thayer

Thayer dates to 1870, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

1870founded
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Quick answers

How Thayer began, and where its name came from

When was Thayer founded?

1870

Thayer dates its founding to 1870 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1871.

2020 census: 432156 years

How did Thayer get its name?

Thayer was named for Nathaniel Thayer, a railroad employee.

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1871. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Thayer’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 Thayer are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Thayer’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Thayer.

Read it all →

Thayer was laid out in the fall of 1870 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Nathaniel Thayer, a railroad employee. The town was built up quickly and was incorporated as a city in 1871.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Thayer, 1870 to 1904

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1870
    FoundingThayer is established
  3. 1871Post officeThe Thayer post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1904Born hereGlenn Campbell is born here
By decade

Thayer, decade by decade

Today1 recent
KSMap-doton-Thayer2005KSMap-doton-Thayer
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Thayer’s post office has been open since 1871.

Gone or out of use
Thayer Elementary SchoolschoolThayer High Schoolschool

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

Questions about Thayer’s history

What year was Thayer founded?

In 1870, according to Wikidata. Thayer’s post office opened in 1871.

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 (1), 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.