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History · Westminster Township

Westminster Township’s post office opened in 1873, and 56% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on.

1873first post office
0on the National Register
56%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Westminster Township began

When was Westminster Township founded?

1873

The Westminster Township post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Westminster (1873), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 177153 years
Founding year: the first Westminster Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Westminster Township’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 Westminster Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18923 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1985. Watch Westminster Township change.Old housesHalf of Westminster Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Westminster Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Westminster Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Westminster Township on the map, 1892 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Westminster Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Westminster Township on the 1892 USGS mapWestminster Township on the 1971 USGS mapWestminster Township on the 1985 USGS map1892Kingman sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Westminster Township.

The story

How Westminster Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Westminster Township.

Read it all →

The first township in Reno County was Reno Township, which covered the whole county upon its creation in 1872. Center Township was created in 1873 from Reno Township, and from Center Township Westminster Township was created in 1874. Plevna Township would also be created from Westminster Township in 1879. The first settler in what was to become Westminster Township was John Martin, who settled in the area in the spring of 1873.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Westminster Township, 1873 to 1892

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873Post officeThe Westminster post office opens
  3. 1881Post officeThe Westminster post office closes
  4. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Westminster Township

Nobody well known was born in Westminster Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Karl C. KingAmerican politician · b. 1897
Alva DuerAmerican basketball player-coach · b. 1904
Gary BanzAmerican politician · b. 1945
L
Larry FossAmerican baseball player · b. 1936
J
Joe SeiwertAmerican politician · b. 1951
J
Jon GnagyAmerican artist · b. 1907
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Another post office, Westminster, opened and closed inside today’s town.

2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Westminster Township
AbbyvilleWestminster

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Arlington TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPlevna TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCenter TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEnterprise TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Westminster Township’s history

What year was Westminster Township founded?

The Westminster Township post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.