Doniphan, Kansas church by Kathy Alexander.
Doniphan_County, Kansas by L.H. Everts & Co, 1887.
| Town | Post Office Dates | Additional Information |
| Blair | 1908-1957 | Named for Joel P. Blair, the townsite owner. The area still has several scattered homes, buildings, and an active Baptist Church. |
| Blairs Station | 1871-1872 | Named for Joel P. Blair, postmaster. |
| Bozarth | 1901-1903 | The post office was established in 1900 on the old site of Charleston. |
| Brenner | 1871-1917 | The town was laid out by the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad in 1872. It thrived as an important grain market, the dealers buying principally for the Atchison millers. In 1910, it had telegraph and express offices, a money order office, and a population of 40. It was located in Wayne Township, five miles south of Troy. |
| Charleston/Charlestown | 1857-1860 1866-1867 |
Charlestown was founded by a town company in 1857. The post office closed in 1960, and when it reopened in 1866, the name was changed to Charleston. At one time, it had 12-15 houses. |
| Columbus | 1860-1867 | Columbus was laid out in May 1857 but didn’t grow. Henry Wilson, postmaster. |
| Doniphan | 1855-1943 | A ghost town located in southeast Doniphan County along the Missouri River. This muddy river would be the reason for the establishment of Doniphan, its growth, and finally, its end. |
| Evansville | None | Paper Town filed by Colonel D.M. Johnston on June 1, 1857. |
| Fanning | 1870-1933 | The community started in 1870 as a station on the Atchison & Nebraska Railway. |
| Gabriel/Lee | 1895-1904 | The name changed from Lee to Gabriel on May 6, 1897. |
| Geary | 1857-1905 | Geary, first called Geary City, was located in 1857 by a company of Leavenworth men and was named for Governor John W. Geary. |
| Green Top | 1857-1859 | A. S. Ross, postmaster. It was about two miles south of Bendena. |
| Iowa Point | 1955-1933 | Was located on the Missouri River and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in Iowa Township. |
| La Fayette | 1857-1871 | Steamboat landing c1845. Townsite 1856. Henry Lott, postmaster. Like so many projected towns, Lafayette never achieved an existence of any notable amount. |
| La Porte/Smithton | 1855-1859 | The name changed from Smithton to La Porte on February 12, 1858. Incorporated 1860; vacated 1864. |
| Leona | 1873-1986 | Located on the Wolf River in Wolf River Township, started in 1873. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41. It still has scattered homes, buildings, and an active Methodist Church. |
| Moray/East Norway | 1871-1938 | Named changed from East Norway to Moray on December 17, 1894 |
| Nemaha Agency | 1856-1847 | The post office moved from Highland. |
| Normanville | 1862-1887 | Established in 1861. The post office was established on March 21, 1862, with William Normile as postmaster. |
| Orr | 1893-1897 | |
| Palermo | 1855-1904 | An early riverfront town located in Marion Township. Post office in 1855 with Frank Mahan, postmaster. Incorporated 1857. The population in 1910 was 279. Located on the Missouri River and at the mouth of Walnut Creek, it was an important point before the railroads were built. It was located about eight miles southeast of Troy. |
| Petersburgh | 1858-1859 | Established by Peter Cadue, a Kickapoo trader, in 1857. A. Daugherty, postmaster. Vacated 1864. |
| Purcell | 1887-1956 | Named for John Purcell, pioneer. Still home to active 1896 St. Mary’s Catholic Church. |
| Rogersville | 1857-1859 | North of Troy on the California Trail, this town was named for Emerson Van B. Rogers, the first postmaster. |
| Ryan’s Station | None | A flag station on the St. Joseph and Western Railway, in 1869, it was the terminus of the road for a short time. The town was laid out by Joel Ryan. Ryan and O’Neill built a store here in 1870. S. L. Ryan built a second store in 1872. It was located one mile east of Severance. |
| St. Benedict | 1870 | Post office open just less than a year |
| Underwood | 1882 | The post office was only open for about three months before it was moved to Darwin. |
| Walnut Grove | 1856-1870 | Grandison Wilson, postmaster. |
| Whitehead/Bellemont | 1855-1866 | Trading post in 1852. Incorporated by the Bogus Legislature in 1855. Named for trader James R. Whitehead. Changed to Bellemont in 1859 but later ceased to exist. The town was about two miles from Wathena. |
| Wolf River/Ridge Farm | 1864-1866 | The post office moved from Normanville and the name was changed to Wolf River in 1865 |
© Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, July 2022.
Also See:
Doniphan County Photo Gallery
Kansas Destinations
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