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History · Severance

Severance’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
1recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Severance was laid out in 1869. It was named for John Severance, one of its founders. A railroad depot was built in Severance in 1874. Severance was incorporated as a city in 1877.

A post office was opened in Severance in 1869, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1992.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Severance’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Severance

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Harry ChapmanHarry ChapmanSports
By decade

Severance, 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
Today1 photo
KSMap-doton-SeveranceCommonsKSMap-doton-Severance2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Severance is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Severance has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is John R. Hale Barn in Wolf River, 3 miles away.

Severance and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Severance. Tap a dot.
John R. Hale BarnSt. Benedict's ChurchGeorge Hanson BarnJohn Streib BarnM. D. L. Williams BarnA.L. Wynkoop House

Closest to Severance

John R. Hale BarnWolf River · Building3miSt. Benedict's ChurchUnion · Built 19033.4miGeorge Hanson BarnWolf River · Building3.8miJohn Streib BarnWolf River · Building4.2miM. D. L. Williams BarnIndependence · Building6.2mi

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. John R. Hale Barn’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Severance?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Severance’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
📜 Wolf River📜 Denton📜 Leona📜 Union

From Wikimedia Commons (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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