Paint Creek Stock Farm in Hiattville, Kansas by L.H. Everts & Co, 1887.
Bourbon County, Kansas, by L.H. Everts & Co., 1887.
| Town | Post Office Dates |
Additional Information |
| Appleton | 1867-1875 | Appleton was established in 1866 by Captain Stevens. It was just near the state line between Kansas and Missouri. On the Missouri side, it was called Wheeling. At one point, it had a post office, three stores, and a blacksmith shop. After Memphis (later Garland) was established, it absorbed Appleton. |
| Barnesville | 1856-1906 | The town was laid out in 1858 by J. and F. Barnes, who also built a hotel the same year. A post office was established in 1869 with Dr. Neal as postmaster. Neal also started a general store in 1860. The first school was taught in 1864 by D. B. Jackman. The United Brethren in Christ also held services in the schoolhouse. The village did well initially and soon had 15 houses and three stores. In the early 1880s, it had one large business establishment, operated by Messinger & Son, that carried a large stock of goods and did a flourishing business. It also had five or six dwellings and a blacksmith shop. In 1910, the town had a population of 52. It was located on the Little Osage River, about 13 miles north of Fort Scott. |
| Berlin | 1879-1903 | In 1910, it had a population of 15. It was located about 15 miles northwest of Fort Scott. |
| Bland | 1894 | A country post office near Garland was in J.S. Walker’s home. It was only open for four months. |
| Carbondale | 1856-1858 | The post office moved to Osage. |
| Clarksburg | 1880-1900 | A coal mining company established a station switch here in 1871. The village of Clarksburg grew up around it. The postmaster was N. Southard. Most of the residents worked in the strip mines. At one time, the population was 800. A townsite was never platted. |
| Dayton | 1858-1887 | It was located in the southern part of Timber Hill Township and named for Dayton, Ohio. It was incorporated in February 1860. |
| Devon/Mill Creek | 1860-1989 | Mill Creek was founded in 1860 and named for a nearby creek. Wiley Bolinger was the postmaster. In 1889, the town moved closer to the railroad and was renamed Devon for Devon, England. |
| Dry Ridge | 1880-1881 | Located northeast of Bronson, the first postmaster was Henry Miller. The post office was located in his home. |
| Eve | 1894-1901 | A hamlet in the extreme northwestern part of the county, it was located on a tributary of the Little Osage River. It was named for Eve Davis, the first postmaster, and the post office was located in her home. |
| Fort Lincoln | 1861-1879 | Located just a few miles west of the present-day semi-ghost town of Fulton, Kansas, Fort Lincoln was established by Union General James H. Lane in August 1861. |
| Fulton/Osaga | 1869-2005 | Fulton, Kansas, a tiny town in northeast Bourbon County, was established in 1869. Initially, it was called Osaga, but it was changed to Fulton in April 1876. It is a semi-ghost town today. |
| Garland/Memphis | 1875-1997 | On March 18, 1886, the name changed from Memphis to Garland. Today, Garland is a ghost town. |
| Gilfillan | 1882-1902 | Located south of Devon, the first post office was in a general store, and W. Barnett was the postmaster. The village was named after the Gillifillan Stone Quarry, which had a spur from the Missouri Pacific Railroad. |
| Glendale | 1864-1886 1889-1902 |
Located nine miles northwest of Fort Scott. The first postmaster was R.A. Williams. |
| Godfrey | 1870-1901 | In 1870, a coal baron did a large business in stripping and shipping coal. The village was platted in 1871. The first postmaster was W.J. Rean. It grew to a population of 1,200, with freight shipments of 50 coal cars daily, equal to those of Fort Scott. When the coal dwindled, so did the village. It was located at the junction of the Missouri Pacific Railroad and the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, seven miles south of Fort Scott. |
| Hammond | 1877-1968 | An extinct town in Osage Township of Bourbon County was named for William Hammond, the townsite owner. |
| Harding | 1888-1933 | Named for Russell Harding, the general superintendent of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Joseph M. Snyder was the first postmaster. At one point, the village had a store, a blacksmith shop, and a flour mill. In 1910, it had a money order post office, telegraph and express facilities, and a population of 25. It was about 15 miles northwest of Fort Scott. |
| Hathaway | 1858-1860 | The first postmaster was J. Phillips |
| Henning | 1871 | The post office was open for less than three months. The postmaster was A.V. Wolf. |
| Hiattville/Pawnee | 1870-1986 | Located in Pawnee Township, it was first called Pawnee. It still has a few area homes, an active church, and an old school. |
| Holman | 1894-1901 | A.H. Holeman was the first postmaster, and the post office was in his home. It was six miles north of Bronson. |
| Lakeside | 1885-1900 | Lakeside was located five miles southeast of Uniontown. W.C. Rose was the first postmaster; the post office was in his home. He had a large lake on one side of his house and an apple orchard on the other. |
| Majella | 1892-1902 | The post office was in the home of M.E. Remnsider, the first postmaster. He added a room to add a store. Later, there were a few homes and a blacksmith shop. It was nine miles northeast of Bronson. |
| Marmaton/Marmiton | 1857-1918 | The name changed from Marmiton to Marmaton on March 20, 1882. |
| Mohon | 1878-1883 | Located in the county’s southeast corner, it was 12 miles southeast of Fort Scott. The first settlement was made by Wesley Calkins in 1878. John McDonald was the only postmaster and also opened a store. |
| Mount Sterling | 1862-1871 | The first postmaster was T.S. Brockman. |
| Paint Creek | 1874-1884 | It was seven miles south of Uniontown in Marion Township. The first postmaster was Alfred Monsur. |
| Pawnee Station | 1871-1945 | Pawnee Station was established by the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad in 1871. |
| Porterville | 1882-1905 | It was located in the southwest corner of the county. Levi G. Porter was the first postmaster, and the post office was in his home, along with a general store. In 1910, the population was 20. |
| Rayville/Osage | 1858-1861 | The post office moved from Carbondale. The name changed from Osage to Rayville on March 29, 1860. It was located on the Osage River, about halfway between Fort Lincoln and Mapleton. The village was established by the two Ray brothers in 1855. The first postmaster was J.W. McGhee. It was a well-known rendezvous for Jayhawkers and a stage station on the state line from Westport, Missouri, to the south. Because it was too near Mapleton, it soon died. |
| Rockford | 1860-1902 | Rockford, Kansas, was first settled in 1858 by Guy Hinton. |
| Sharlow | 1868-1872 | It was ten miles northeast of Forst Scott. The first postmaster was T.L. Wilson. |
| Walkerton | 1883-1910 | Walkerton was named for John S. Walker, a merchant and postmaster. The village was on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway about seven miles southwest of Fort Scott. The first post office was in the depot. In 1910, it reported a population of 40. |
| Walnut Hill | 1863-1875 | It was six miles northeast of Uniontown. N.A. Riber was the first postmaster. |
| Washburn | 1883-1885 | It was five miles northeast of Fulton. The first postmaster was L.B. Washburn; the post office was in his home. |
| Wilsonville | 1875-1881 | The post office moved to Bronson. |
| Woodland | 1887-1901 | Woodland was four miles southwest of Fort Scott. The first postmaster was E. Parsons. |
| Xenia | 1858-1926 | The post office moved from Peru. Xenia was named for Xenia, Ohio, in the county’s northwest corner. J..S. Stevenson and John Van Sickle laid out the town, and Van Sickle was the first postmaster. At one time, the town had a furniture factory, a sawmill, a flour mill, four stores, and two hotels. In 1910, it had a money-order post office and a population of 115. There are still neighborhood homes and an active church. |
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated May 2024.
Also See:
Sources:
Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
Cutler, William G; History of Kansas; A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, 1883.
The Fort Scott Tribune – July 16, 1976
Kansas Post Office History