Old buildings in South Mound, Kansas, courtesy of Google Maps.
South Mound, Kansas, is a census-designated place in Lincoln Township of Neosho County. It is also an extinct town, as its post office closed years ago. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27.
It was located on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway about halfway between St. Paul and Parsons. Tradition holds that Oscar Hall first proposed the name South Mound because the site is the highest point between Fort Scott and Independence.
Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway.
W.F. Harker and Claude Martin built the first store on the present site of South Mound in May 1871. A post office was established on August 15, 1872, with Sidney D. Nobel as postmaster. It was located on the Merton Harris farm west of the present town.
The South Mound Methodist Church was chartered on November 16, 1883. The church building was erected soon after its charter, near the eastern edge of town. The church didn’t have a resident pastor but was served regularly by pastors from St. Paul, Galesburg, and elsewhere.
The railroad depot burned in April 1885.
The South Mound cemetery at the east edge of town was established by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1885 and had the same trustees as the church. Dan McIntyre donated an acre for the original cemetery, which was later expanded from part of the churchyard.
In March 1886, W.F. Harker laid out the town and began selling lots. Soon after, he traded his store for farm land in Elk County. He had been a grain buyer and a dealer in coal, lumber, and merchandise.
Others who had business houses there were John S. Beaven from 1887 to 1889 and Morrow & Co. in 1889.
In September 1890, South Mound District No. 92 built a high school, taught by two teachers, in a building located northwest of town.
F.M. Denton, of Hancock County, Missouri, came to Osage Mission (St. Paul) in May 1890, bought the Lake Hardware Store, and moved it to South Mound. He erected a new store building and started a successful business career. He built an elevator and handled large amounts of grain, feed, and seed. He continued the business until his death on May 11, 1913. Other members of the family carried on the business until the store was sold to the Owens brothers of St. Paul in 1937.
The grain business was conducted by F.A. Johnston, manager for the local Farmers Union.
Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway depot in South Mound, Kansas.
Dr. R.C. Crandon opened a drug store in July 1891.
Berry & Kelty had a general store in 1894.
Gray & Hackman of St. Paul operated a lumberyard there in 1903. Later, C.S. Bales operated a lumber yard there.
Denton’s store, elevator, and barn burned on February 14, 1909.
In 1910, South Mound was still on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway, when it had express and telegraph offices, a money order post office, and a population of 62.
In the spring of 1924, the connection to South Mound was made to provide electricity via the high-voltage line from the service supplying St. Paul.
W.L. Knox had a general store in 1928.
The first Catholic Church at South Mound was erected in October 1903 by William Greenwood, a contractor from St. Paul. It was a frame building, measuring 36 by 50 feet. Prior to that time, the Catholics attended services at St. Paul.
Lincoln Township Community Center in South Mound, Kansas.
The South Mound State Bank was chartered on September 26, 1914, with F.M. Denton as president; G.A. Dimond, vice president; and T.J. Ousley, cashier. A new brick building was erected to house the bank.
Dr. Crandon’s store burned on February 7, 1915.
The frame Catholic Church was destroyed by fire on January 1, 1928. In August, a contract for a new brick building was awarded to Ed Bauer of Parsons, with a cost of $7,735. It was dedicated on June 30, 1929, by Bishop Schwertner of Wichita.
The South Mound State Bank relocated to St. Paul in November 1934 and was renamed the Exchange State Bank.
The Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway maintained a depot and a regular station agent for many years. However, when the railroad was rerouted away from the town, its population declined sharply.
The depot was sold and removed in 1944.
The railroad tracks were removed in 1989 following the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway’s merger with the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
The post office closed on December 23, 1971.
Today, this tiny place still has several homes, a community building, and a cemetery.
South Mound is located about eight miles south of St. Paul, Kansas.
South Mound, Kansas Cemetery, courtesy of Google Maps.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated December 2025.
Also See:
Extinct Towns of Neosho County
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.
Graves, W.W.; History of Neosho County, Volume I was published in 1949 and Volume II in 1951, Journal Press, St. Paul, Kansas.
Wikipedia