Coffey County, Kansas Extinct Towns

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad shed depot in Hall's Summit, Kansas by H. Killam, 1952.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad shed depot in Hall’s Summit, Kansas by H. Killam, 1952.

Town
Post Office Dates
Additional Information
Agricola-Hardpan 1875-1974 The name changed from Hardpan to Agricola on January 24, 1876. In 1910, it was a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. At that time, it had telegraph and express offices, a money order post office with one rural route, and a population of 100. It was in Rock Island Township, 20 miles northeast of Burlington, and six miles from Waverly
Aliceville 1883-1994 Located in Avon Township of Coffey County is an extinct town because it no longer has a post office. However, it is also an interesting ghost town with several buildings, a profitable bank, and an active church.
Aurora None A couple of men were sent to Kansas in the summer of 1857 to select a townsite for a company in Aurora, Illinois. The two agents left Lawrence in a wagon loaded with commissary stores, including a jug of whisky, intending to select a point on the Neosho River for the town. On the second night, they camped on a bleak prairie, about six miles south of Torquois Creek, in what is now Rock Creek Township. During the night, the whisky gave out, and there being no prospect of replenishing their stock without returning to Lawrence, they selected the spot where they camped that night for the townsite and returned to Aurora, where they made a flattering report to the home company of the result of their mission. The new town, Aurora, was surveyed and platted, a house was erected, and an unsuccessful attempt was made to dig a well. Nothing else was done, and the enterprise was soon abandoned. The house was occupied for many years by Thomas Dixon and his family, and the place was known as Dixon’s Lone House. It was kept as a house of public entertainment.
Avon 1865-1888
Bagdad 1889-1890 The post office was open for less than seven months.
Bancroft 1876-1882
Bangor 1871-1886 Located at the junction of Dinner and South Big Creeks, it was founded by people from Boston, Massachusetts. A post office moved from Fredericktown, and the name was changed to Bangor. The first settlements and improvements were made in 1872. Before leaving Boston, the members of the colony elected township officers, assuming that the place they were going to was an uninhabited wilderness. Twelve business and dwelling houses were erected, but owing to dissensions among the people, the town sickened and died, and the buildings were removed to neighboring farms. The last building remaining was a hotel, which was removed by F. A. Atherly, in October 1882. The post office moved to Gridley.
Bellgrade 1883-1886
Bluffton 1888-1892
Brown None
Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad sign board, by H. Killam, 1957.

Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad sign board, by H. Killam, 1957.

A station on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway.

California None This place was located on Benedict Creek in the spring of 1858. However, no buildings were ever erected there.
Camp Creek 1857-1865
Chickasaw None Started in 1857 by parties in Louisville, Kentucky, as a rival to Hampden. Its location was a mile east of Hampden. It was purely a paper town, with no improvements ever made there.
Corona 1870-1878
Crandall 1888-1906
Crotty 1887-1906
Dixon 1872-1878 The post office moved to Halls Summit.
Eclipse 1873-1883 The post office moved to Antioch.
Ethel 1899 The post office was open for less than five months. Order of change rescinded.
Fredericktown 1866-1871 The post office moved to Bangor.
Halls Summit-Warnerton 1878-1935 The post office moved from Dixon. It was named for Ezra E. Hall, postmaster. The name was changed from Halls Summit to Warnerton on July 10, 1884. It changed back to Halls Summit on February 25, 1890. In 1910, it was a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. At that time, it had a bank, various lines of mercantile interests, telegraph and express offices, and a money order post office with one rural route. The population in 1910 was 125. It was located 14 miles north of Burlington.
Hampden 1857-1858
1864-1866
Hampden was the county seat from May 23, 1863, to November 24, 1865, when it lost out to Burlington.
Key West-Queen City 1871-1885 The name changed from Queen City to Key West on December 20, 1877.
Kong 1890-1901
Lebo Creek 1872-1880
Martindale 1871-1880
Moody None
Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway in Moody, Kansas by H. Killam, 1957.

Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway in Moody, Kansas by H. Killam, 1957.

A station on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway.

Nashville 1858-1866 This town was located in Star Township. Its founders were W.J. Sanders, John J. Sanders, G.W. Campbell, and Mr. Caseboom. Platted in the spring of 1858, it had a store, blacksmith shop, a post office, and a half dozen dwelling houses. It declined during the 1860 drought and later became a farm.
Neosho City 1857-1861 Founded in 1856 by Marcus J. Parrott, Joel K. Goodin, and others in Neosho Township. A hotel, store, sawmill, and other buildings were erected early on. The town failed, however, to attract settlers, and by an act of the Territorial Legislature on February 27, 1860, the town was vacated, and the plat and record annulled.
Oread None This was a paper town located near Wesley Stubblefield’s farm, ten miles northeast of Burlington. It was started as speculation by a party of Lawrence men, of which Governor Robinson was the head, in the winter of 1856-57. B. L. Kingsbury surveyed the town in the spring of 1857, and many shares in the town, of ten lots each, were sold by the proprietors. No houses were ever built there.
Ottumwa 1857-1906 Located on the Neosho River in Ottumwa Township, Ottumwa was established in 1857. Once showing great promise, it had a university.
Patmos 1890-1902
Pottawatomie 1882-1906 Pottawatomie was surveyed in the spring of 1858 by Orson Kent, but it was never platted. George W. Fletcher and Harmon Hozier erected houses there, but the town didn’t grow. However, it still existed in 1910, though the post office had closed. At that time, it received its mail by rural route from Westphalia in Anderson County. It was located on the east line of the county, about 15 miles northeast of Burlington and six miles northwest of Westphalia.
Section 1882-1894
Sharpe 1890-1918 A station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, it had a money order post office, an express office, and a population of 40 in 1910. It was located nine miles north of Burlington.
Strawn-Sidney-Strawnsburgh 1870-1963 Named for Enos Strawn, a pioneer. It was on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway. From 1904 to 1951, the old town site of Strawn was plagued by flooding of the Neosho River. In the late 1950s, the Army Corps of Engineers designated Strawn as a flood area as plans were made to build the John Redmond Dam. Afterward, the town moved to a new site and became “New Strawn” in 1962. Today, the old town of Strawn is mostly underwater. 
Valley Green 1878-1879
Viva None A station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.
Coffey County, Kansas Map by L.H. Everts & Co., 1887

Coffey County, Kansas Map by L.H. Everts & Co., 1887

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated February 2026.

Also See:

Coffey County, Kansas

Coffey County Photo Gallery

Kansas Destinations

Kansas Ghost Town List

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.
Kansas Post Office History