Ness County, Kansas, by H. Everts. Co., 1887.
Harold, Kansas, located on the banks of the Pawnee River, in Ness County, was 14 miles south of Ness City. The town is gone today.
Located on a pretty plateau overlooking the river and valley, it was surrounded by one of the fairest and most fertile valley regions in Kansas. It had an admirable water supply, with living wells being easily and cheaply obtained at depths of 25 and 30 feet. There was also a superb white and cream colored building stone and fine building sand.
When this place was initially established in 1878, it was called Shiloh. A post office was opened on September 20, 1878.
In May 1886, a new townsite was established by the Harold Town Company, of which William Newell Dilley was the president and his partner in the real estate and loan business, J.L. Findlay, the secretary. The town was founded on William Newell Dilley’s half section of land along the banks of the Pawnee River. On September 15, 1886, the town and post office were renamed Harold.
Several stone buildings were erected, including the Town Company building and the town hall, as well as a livery stable, an opera house, and a post office. Dilly operated a store, post office, and real estate office. The town also had a hotel, a school, a Methodist Episcopal Church, a feed mill, a blacksmith shop, several shops, a newspaper called the Record, and a group of pretty cottage homes. A comfortable daily stagecoach passed Harold for Ness City and Jetmore.
However, hard times and drought soon forced the settlers to leave both the town and the region to survive. Livestock was abandoned to the open range. William Newell Dilley drove to Sterling, Kansas, in February 1890 with a team and wagon loaded with furniture. The post office closed on May 30, 1891.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, September 2025.
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Sources:
Handbook of Ness County, Kansas; C.S. Burch Publishing Company, Chicago, 1887.
Kansas Post Office History