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PottawatomieCoCHPhoto: Spacini · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
History · Westmoreland

Westmoreland’s post office opened in 1858, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the German Evangelical Church and the Pottawatomie County Courthouse. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1880 on.

1858first post office
2on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Westmoreland’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Westmoreland began, and where its name came from

When was Westmoreland founded?

1858

The Westmoreland post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 740168 years

How did Westmoreland get its name?

Westmoreland was named after Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

Founding year: the first Westmoreland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Westmoreland’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Westmoreland’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Westmoreland came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Westmoreland.

Read it all →

Westmoreland was platted in 1871. It was named after Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

On April 30, 2024, an EF3 tornado struck Westmoreland, causing one death and three injuries, destroying 22 homes, and damaging 13 homes that remained in livable condition.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Westmoreland, 1858 to 1916

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1858Post officeThe Westmoreland post office opens
  3. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kansas - Pottawatomie County - Westmoreland - ED …
  4. 20th century
  5. 1916Born hereFrank Wiziarde is born here
By decade

Westmoreland, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s1 item
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kansas - Pottawatomie County - Westmoreland - ED 75-20, ED 75-2218801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kansas - Pott…
1890s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Westmoreland, KS EF3 damage2024Westmoreland, KS EF3 damagePottawatomieCoCH2009PottawatomieCoCHKSMap-doton-Westmoreland2005KSMap-doton-Westmoreland25. Scott Spring (Scott Springs/Oregon Trail Park, KS-99 at Westmoreland, KS) on the California and Oregon National His…200325. Scott Spring (Scott Springs/Oregon Trail Park, KS…
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kansas - Pottawatomie County - Westmoreland - ED 75-20, ED 75-22
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kansas - Pottawatomie County - Westmoreland - ED 75-20, ED 75-22, 1880

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Westmoreland’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Westmoreland

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
2018
German Evangelical Church
German Evangelical ChurchPottawatomie County Courthouse
Buildings
German Evangelical ChurchBuilding
Pottawatomie County CourthouseBuilding

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

Questions about Westmoreland’s history

What year was Westmoreland founded?

The Westmoreland post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Westmoreland?

Two places: the German Evangelical Church (listed 2018) and the Pottawatomie County Courthouse (2018).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), 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.