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History · Lancaster

Lancaster’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Lancaster was platted in 1857. It may have been named after Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lancaster was an early contender for county seat. Lancaster was a station on the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

In 1915, Lancaster contained seven stores, a school, three churches, a grain elevator, a lumber yard, and a hotel.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Lancaster’s collection

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

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

Lancaster, 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
Today2 photos
Aerial view of Lancaster, Kansas 9-2-2013CommonsAerial view of Lancaster, Kansas 9-2-20132013KSMap-doton-LancasterCommonsKSMap-doton-Lancaster2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Lancaster is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Lancaster has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Mathew Eylar Barn No. 1 in Union, 4.4 miles away.

Lancaster and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Lancaster. Tap a dot.
Mathew Eylar Barn No. 1Mathew Eylar Barn No. 2St. Mary's Catholic ChurchStranger Creek Warren Truss BridgeJohn Drimmel Sr. FarmM. D. L. Williams Barn

Closest to Lancaster

Mathew Eylar Barn No. 1Union · Building4.4miMathew Eylar Barn No. 2Union · Building5.6miSt. Mary's Catholic ChurchUnion · Built 18965.8miStranger Creek Warren Truss BridgeCenter · Structure6.1miJohn Drimmel Sr. FarmShannon · Building6.8mi

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. Mathew Eylar Barn No. 1’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Lancaster?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Lancaster’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
📜 Lancaster📜 Huron📜 Effingham📜 Union

From Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Lancaster, KSAtchison 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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