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History · Center

Center’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Center. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Center Township is a township in Smith County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,827.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,827 to 1,771 (-3%). Half of its homes were built before 1958.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Center yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Center’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Center’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from CenterWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Center.Meet them →
By decade

Center, decade by decade

Before
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 album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Center is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Center has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is First National Bank Building in Smith Center, 0.4 miles away.

Center and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Center. Tap a dot.
First National Bank BuildingMartyn HouseGrimes HouseAthol Community HallHome on the Range CabinHoff School District No. 42

Closest to Center

First National Bank BuildingSmith Center · Building0.4miMartyn HouseSmith Center · Built 19490.5miGrimes HouseSmith Center · Built 19490.5miAthol Community HallAthol · Building7.4miHome on the Range CabinPleasant · Built 187511.7mi

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. First National Bank Building’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Center?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Center’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National 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.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Smith Center📜 Blaine📜 Washington📜 Banner
We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Center, KSSmith CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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