Extinct Towns of Johnson County, Kansas

Johnson County, Kansas historical map.

Johnson County, Kansas historical map.

Aubry – Bleeding Kansas Battleground

Black Bob Reservation

Bonita

Chouteau – Long Lost Trading Post

Hector

Holliday – Lost Town to Landfill

Lanesfield & the Battle of Bull Creek

Monticello

Morse

Ocheltree

Oxford & the Oxford Fraud

Prairie Center

Stanley – Absorbed by Overland Park

Sunflower Ordnance Works & Village/Clearview City

Wilder – Extinct in Shawnee

More Extinct Towns

Town

Post Office Dates Additional Information
Allendale 1862-1863
Bartleson 1872-1874
Black Bob 1875-1879 Chief Black Bob and his Shawnee band of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, lived on land controlled by Spain in eastern Missouri before moving to Kansas.
Cedar Junction 1877-1919 Cedar Junction, also called Cedar and Corliss, its railroad name, was located on the south bank of the Kansas River about 19 miles southwest of Kansas City. A post office was located along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad on January 16, 1877. In 1910, Cedar Junction had a population of 161, a money order post office, general stores, and express and telegraph facilities. It served as the supply and shipping point for the rich agricultural district. Its post office was closed on April 30, 1919.
Choteau None  A little station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad 12 miles west of Kansas City, between Holliday and Wilder. It took its name from the Choteau brothers, early pioneers of Johnson County, establishing a trading post here in 1827.
Clare/Wainwright 1899-1913 Located on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, five miles southwest of Olathe, this town was first called Wainwright. It received a post office on November 27, 1899. Later the name was changed to Clare by the Kelly family, in honor of Clare County in Ireland. The post office officially changed its name on May 17, 1906. In 1910, Clare had a population of ten, a money order post office and telegraph and express facilities, a grain elevator, a store, and a school. The post office was closed on September 30, 1913. Later the elevator burned down and the store and school were remodeled as residences.
Craig 1899-1902 Craig was a station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, seven miles north of Olathe.
Four Houses None Francois Chouteau established a trading post in 1822 on the north bank of the Kansas River, one mile above the mouth of Cedar Creek. The post was called “Four Houses” because it consisted of four log houses arranged in a fort-like square.
Glenn 1868-1895 Glenn was located on an early course of the Santa Fe Trail in northeast Johnson County. A post office was established on January 21, 1868, and discontinued on April 30, 1895.
Haysville 1858-1860
Kenneth/Mastin/Newington 1890-1943
A building in what was Kenneth, Kansas courtesy Google Maps.

A building in what was Kenneth, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps.

This place was first called Newington. The post office’s name changed to Mastin on September 7, 1899. The post office name changed from Mastin to Kenneth on April 29, 1907. In 1910, it was located on the Missouri Pacific Railroad and had a money order post office, telegraph, and express facilities and a population of 30. The Kenneth post office closed on April 14, 1943. Today, Kenneth is part of Overland Park, Kansas. It was located at W. 151st and Kenneth Road, about three miles east of Stanley. In 1915, Clyde Clark had a general store here. It was situated almost on the Missouri line, a
little over three miles east of Stanley.

Jerusalem 1895-1900 Located two miles northeast of Gardner, Kansas, Jerusalem once had a store, blacksmith shop, school, and several residences. A post office was established on April 11, 1895, and discontinued on December 31, 1900.
Lackman None A station on the Frisco Railroad, Lackman was three miles north of Olathe. It was established in 1857, and before it was completely gone, it had a whiskey shop and two claim shanties.
Lexington 1857-1863 This small town located three miles south of DeSoto was laid out in 1857 by pro-slavery settlers. A post office was established on June 29, 1857. De Soto was established as a Free State town the same year, and there was an immediate rivalry. A two-story hotel was built in 1860, and a general store sold whiskey to the Indians. Kansas was admitted to the Union as a Free State in January 1861, and Lexington soon went downhill. The post office was closed on January 14, 1863, and by the next year, the town was vacated due to the building of the Sunflower Ordinance Plant.
Meadow Brook 1875-1881
1882-1885
1887-1896
Phila 1890-1894
1898-1899
This small town was located near DeSoto and Lexington in the northwestern part of the county. A post office was established on May 29, 1890, and discontinued on October 31, 1894. It was re-established on May 27, 1898, and finally abandoned on May 15, 1899.
Pioneer 1897-1900 Pioneer was located on one of the creek tributaries of the Kansas River, about seven miles northwest of Olathe. A post office was established on November 2, 1897, and discontinued on November 15, 1900. The grange located here is probably the oldest in the country.
Princeton None In 1857, the Princeton Town Company, of which Albert White, D.H. Mitchell, T.E. Milhoan, and George String Ham were members, laid out the town of Princeton, comprising 160 acres, and began to sell town lots. Soon, two stores, a blacksmith shop and a shoe shop, were located there. Princeton was a Free State town, and its people hoped to make it the future county seat.  However, when the question came up to a vote, the Shawnee Indians were declared legal voters for this occasion, and their votes were almost solid for Olathe. After the Olathe victory, Albert White filed on the old townsite of Princeton. It was about two miles southwest of Olathe.
Red Clover 1881-1887
1891-1895
Red Clover was located on the county line outside Kansas City, Kansas.
Romance 1876-1877
1878-1879
Sherman 1865-1869 The post office moved to Lenexa on July 15, 1869.
South Park 1888-1894
Squiresville 1857-1868
Switzer None A station on the Frisco Railroad 12 miles north of Olathe. Large quantities of milk were shipped from this place to Kansas City, Missouri.
Zara 1882-1887
Zarah 1890-1954 Zarah was a village in the northern part of Johnson County. It was located on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad and an electric line. It was located ten miles north of Olathe. In 1910, it had a money order post office, telegraph and express facilities, and a population of 50. In 1915, Harry King had a general store there and did extensive business. It was located at 69th and Martindale in present-day Shawnee, Kansas.

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated May 2024.

Also See:

Johnson County, Kansas

Johnson County Photo Gallery

Kansas History

Kansas Destinations

Sources:

Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL, 1912.
Blair, Ed; History of Johnson County, Stand Publishing Company, Lawrence, KS, 1915.
Cutler, William G; History of Kansas; A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, 1883.
Johnson County History
Steed, Laura; Ghost Towns of Johnson County, 1973, unknown publisher.