Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe engine, coal car, and caboose steaming over double arch style railroad bridge between Wellsville and LeLoup, 1910.
| Town | Post Office Dates | Additional Information |
| Berea | 1863-1870 | Burea began when Reverend J. N. Smith brought a small body of United Presbyterians into the southern part of the county in 1857. William Aikin taught the first school in the winter of 1857-58. The group built a church in 1858 of native lumber. The same year, the town was laid out, and soon the town company built a store. A schoolhouse was built in 1861, and a post office was established in 1863. The Associate Presbyterians built a church in 1867. In 1870, the United Presbyterians built a larger and better frame- building for $1,400. In 1870, the office was removed to Richmond, a new railroad town three miles west, and the town died. |
| Bowling Green | 1855-1857 | |
| Centropolis | 1858-1859 1863 1865-1930 |
Centropolis is an unincorporated community, as well as an extinct town, due to the fact that it no longer has a post office. Perry Fuller first settled in the area in 1855 and established a store in order to trade with the nearby Ottawa Indians. His store prospered, and in 1856, he established the Centropolis Town Company and began selling lots. A missionary newspaper published by Jotham Meeker for the Ottawa Baptist Mission was the first newspaper in Franklin County. Not only did Fuller expect his new town to become the county seat but also the territorial capital of Kansas and eventually the state capital. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 100. It is located about 11 miles northwest of Ottawa. It still has several buildings, including an active church. |
| Coburn | 1900-1902 | In the northwestern part of the county, it was ten miles west of Norwood, the nearest railroad station. |
| Dennison | 1865-1868 | |
| Emerald | None | First settled in 1857 |
| Forest Home | 1867-1877 | The post office moved to Homewood. |
| Garlington | 1886-1898 | The post office moved to Pleasanthill. |
| Greenwood/Sac & Fox Agency | 1855-1872 | The name changed from Sac & Fox Agency to Greenwood on February 27, 1861. |
| Hackett | 1900-1903 | In the northern part of the county, it was located in the valley of Eight Mile Creek, about six miles northwest of Ottawa. |
| Hickory Creek | 1859-1860 | |
| Homewood | 1877-1955 | The post office moved from Forest Home. Homewood in Williamsburg Township was located on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad 11 miles southwest of Ottawa. In 1910, it had general stores, a public school, a money order post office with one rural route, telegraph and express facilities, and a population of 100. Located in a rich agricultural district, it is the supply and shipping point for the vicinity. Today, the area still features several homes, a couple of old business buildings, the old Homewood School, and an active church. |
| Imes/Larimore | 1877-1917 | Larimore was a small town on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad about six miles southeast of Ottawa. The name changed from Larimore to Imes on May 23, 1887. Named for Harmon Imes, the postmaster. In 1910 it was located on the Missouri Pacific Railroad, had a money order office, was a shipping point for the rich agricultural district, an had a population of 40. |
| Le Loup/Ferguson | 1870-1954 | In the northeastern part of the county, it started as a station on the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Fort Gibson Railroad in 1870. The name was changed from Ferguson to Le Loup on May 8, 1879. There are still a few homes in the area. |
| McCandless | 1900-1901 | |
| Minneola/Saint Bernard | 1855-1865 | The name changed from Saint Bernard to Minneola on November 26, 1858. It was the Franklin County seat for a brief time. The post office moved to Centropolis when it closed. St. Bernard was established just a couple miles east of Centropolis and was made the Franklin County seat. However, it did not grow, and the post office was closed and was renamed Minneola. |
| Norwood | 1868-1872 1874-1914 |
Located in the northern part of Franklin County, it was situated on the Kansas City, Lawrence & Southern Railroad. It was named after Henry Ward Beecher’s novel of the name. When the post office was established, D. W. Moore was appointed the first Postmaster. Balch & Hedrich opened a store in 1878. In 1910, it was on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad In 1910, it had several stores, a money order post office, telegraph and express facilities, a few stores, and was the shipping and supply point of a rich agricultural district. At that time, its population was 37. |
| Ohio City | 1857-1870 | Located on the Humboldt Trail, it became the county seat of Franklin County for a short time. The post office moved to Princeton when it closed. |
| Ottawa Creek | 1856-1864 | The post office moved to Ottawa. |
| Pansy | 1898-1902 | |
| Peoria | 1857-1934 | It was six miles east of Ottawa. The old Briles one-room school remains. |
| Pleasanthill | 1898-1902 | The post office moved from Garlington. |
| Ransomville | 1881-1915 | Was a coal mining camp located in the southwestern part of the county. |
| Richter | 1890-1907 | |
| Sac Branch | 1861-1863 | |
| Shermansville, Sherman’s, Dutch Henry’s Crossing | 1855-1863 | The post office moved to Lane. |
| Silkville | NA | Silkville, Kansas, located in Franklin County, was a collection of private buildings owned by Frenchman Ernest de Boissiere, whose farm consisted of 3,600 acres under the management of Charles Sears. |
| Woodlief | 1898-1901 |
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated July 2023.
Silkville, Kansas, old school by Kathy Alexander.
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.
Kansas Post Office History