Emmett, Kansas by Kathy Alexander.
Emmett is a small town in Emmett Township in eastern Pottawatomie County, Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the city’s population was 170, and it had a total area of 0.20 square miles, all land.
Union Pacific depot in Emmett, Kansas, by H. Killam.
The Church of the Holy Cross at Emmett was established in 1881.
The town got its start as a station along the Union Pacific Railroad. The first post office was established on November 25, 1905, and the community was named for Robert Emmet, an Irish nationalist who sought to overthrow the British Crown and gain Ireland’s freedom.
By 1910, the Church of the Holy Cross had a large and prosperous parish of 500 members. At that time, Emmett was still served by the Union Pacific Railroad. It had banking facilities, a local telephone company, and all the main lines of business were represented. There was a money order post office with one rural route, telegraph and express offices, and a population of 200.
Holy Cross School & Church in Emmett, Kansas.
Emmett officially became a city when it filed for incorporation in 1920.
Emmett’s population peaked at 268 in 1930.
Its schools were closed as part of school unification. Today, its students are served by the Kaw Valley USD 321 public school district in St. Mary’s, Kansas.
The town of Emmett is located along Kansas Highway 63, North of St. Mary’s. The town is located near the Jeffrey Energy Center, a coal-fired power plant, which is visible for many miles along I-70 between Manhattan and Topeka. It is 20 miles southeast of Westmoreland, the county seat.
Part of the Manhattan, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area, Emmett is surrounded by rural homes and farmland. The Union Pacific Railroad still runs through the community. Although the town is about 40 miles from Manhattan and Topeka, St. Mary’s is less than ten miles away and offers Emmett residents additional amenities.
Emmett, Kansas City Hall by Kathy Alexander.
Emmett, Kansas, post office by Kathy Alexander.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, May 2026.
Also See:
Old elementary school in Emmett, Kansas, by Kathy Alexander.
Pottawatomie County Photo Gallery
Sources:
Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation
Wikipedia