The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The first township in Reno County was Reno Township, which covered the whole county upon its creation in 1872. In 1874 Langdon Township was split off of it. From Langdon Township, Grove Township was split off in 1876, and then in 1878 Bell Township was split off from Grove Township.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Be one of the first
Start Bell’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bell’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to Bell
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By decade
Bell, decade by decade
Before
2000
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your albumNational Register of Historic Places
Nothing in Bell is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Bell has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Charles M. Prather Barn in Hoosier, 7.3 miles away.
Bell and the nearest listed places
Dashed line = Bell. Tap a dot.
How a place gets listed
1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Charles M. Prather Barn’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Bell?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Bell’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old placeNational Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.