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Mastin - A station on the Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railroad, Mastin is located eleven miles east of Olathe. A post office was established July 1, 1899 and discontinued April 29, 1907 when the name was changed to Kenneth. In 1910, it had a population of 25 and in 1912, it had telegraph and express facilities.
Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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McCamish - Cutler's History of Kansas
McCamish - Where the old Santa Fe Trail crossed Bull Creek in McCamish Township was a favorite camping place for traders and others who had business across the plains. It was a lively place during the summer months. Enterprising individuals as early as 1854 and 1855 decided it was a favorable site for a future town and laid the foundation for a city by opening a small grocery store and saloon. The town was formally laid out in 1857, about two miles northeast of Edgerton. It was a pro-slavery town and a favorite resort for scores of southern gentlemen of leisure who spent their time rambling over the Territory regulating its affairs. In it's best days of 1858, it had about fifty inhabitants. The settlement was never officially listed on early day post office rosters as McCamish, but as Hibbard which was the postal station established there on February 25, 1855. McCamish and Lanesfield were keen rivals and both were looking to the coming of the railroad to mushroom them into prosperous growth. When the Santa Fe did come through in 1870, it skipped both towns and the inhabitants of each began to scuttle over to the most strategic spot along the tracks to join forces there in founding a new town, Edgerton, named in honor of the chief engineer who had laid out the railroad.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
Listed in the July 5, 1883 edition of The Johnson County Democrat as a "defunct city."
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Meadow Brook - A post office ws established August 19, 1875 and discontinued July 22, 1881. It was re-established a third time February 26, 1887 and finally abandoned June 30, 1896.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Morris -Established in 1866, Morris was named for an official of the Santa Fe Railroad. A post office was established January 21, 1879. A store opened January 28, 1880.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Morse -Located on the Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railroad, Morse is about six miles southeast of Olathe. The oldest settler located there in 1866. It was then a vast prairie and osme of the Black Bob Indians were living along the creeks. A post office was established July 15, 1878 and discontinued June 30, 1953. (Editor's Note: Morse still exists today with a few houses and a church off of 151st and Quivira Streets.) The State Bank of Morse was organized June 22, 1910. At that time, Morse had a population of 100. In 1912, it had general stores, the post office, and telegraph and express facilities. By 1915, the population had dropped to 61, but there was also an elevator operated by the Morse Grain Company. The Modern Woodmen of America also had a strong organization there.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Newington - A post office was established October 3, 1890 and discontinued July 30, 1898. It was re-established September 7, 1898 and discontinued again when the name was changed to Mastin, July 1, 1899.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Oxford - Cutler's History of Kansas
Oxford - The town was laid out in 1857, adjoining Little Santa Fe, Missouri. It's citizens were pro-slavery. Oxford was located at what is currently 122nd Street and State Line Road, now part of Overland Park. The famous Oxford frauds were perpetrated here. A regular election was held on October 5, 1857 at which only one or two illegal votes were cast. But to the returns taken by Henry Clay Pate to Little Santa Fe that night, a large number of names were added. The same operation was repeated the next day at Westport, Missoui, until the total was 1600 names added to the 42 or 43 names of legal voters who had in the proper manner deposited their ballots the day before. (The fraud was perpetrated by and in favor of pro-slavery forces, trying to illegally decide the issue of which side of the slavery controversy Kansas would be on.) At the out-break of the war, there were a number of good stores which carried on a large trade with the surrounding country. It's citizens were mostly in sympath with the Southern cause. They either joined the Confederates or bushwackers, or moved with their families to Texas or some other southern state. The town's buildings were used for barracks by Union soldiers and at the war's end, the town had mostly disappeared, lost in the fields.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
Listed in the July 5, 1883 edition of The Johnson County Democrat as a "defunct city in Oxford township on the state line adjoining the town of New Santa Fe, Mo."
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Phila - This small town was located somewhere bear DeSoto and Lexington in the northwestern part of the county. A post office was established May 29, 1890 and discontinued October 31, 1894. It was re-established May 27, 1898 and finally abandoned May 15, 1899.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Pioneer - It was located on one of the creek tributaries to the Kansas River, about seven miles northwest of Olathe. A post office was established November 2, 1897 and discontinued November 15, 1900. It now has rural free delivery from Olathe. The grange located here is probably the oldest in the country.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Prairie Center - Cutler's History of Kansas
Prairie Center - Equidistant from Edgerton - eight miles south, Gardner - seven miles southeast, DeSoto - seven miles northeast, and Eudora in Douglas County - eight miles northwest, was Pairie Center. The first settlement here was made April 9, 1871. The post office was established February 28, 1872 and the appointed postmaster had opened the first store the previous year. The first schoolhouse was built in 1874 and the Friends built a church 1/2 mile north the same year. Two other churches, Methodist and Free Methodist built later. In 1874, there were three church buildings, the post office, a store, a blacksmith shop, a woodwork shop and 75 inhabitants. The post office was discontinued October 15, 1902 when the rural delivery system was established from Eudora. The townsite was erased when the Sunflower Ordinance Plant was developed. The Friends church was moved. The cemetery now lies within the government reserve, but an access road was allowed from the west. Another cemetery in back of a school three mils north was vacated and the burials removed to a DeSoto cemetery.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Princeton - Laid out on Cedar Creek in 1857, it was two miles west of Olathe. It never gained greater size than one claim shanty. It had blue lodge flags as guideposts to lead Missourians coming into the territory in September of 1857.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
Listed in the July 5, 1883 edition of The Johnson County Democrat as a "defunct city two miles west of Olathe on Cedar Creek."
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Red Clover (Redclover) - A post office was established July 6, 1881 and discontinued October 6, 1887. It was re-established April 13, 1891 and discontinued October 6, 1894 when the name was changed to Redclover. It was located on the county line just outside of Kansas City. The post office was discontinued June 29, 1895.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Romance - A post office was established July 17, 1876 and discontinued April 13, 1877. It was re-established December 20, 1878 and abandoned November 10, 1879.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Sherman - A post office was established March 2, 1865 and discontinued July 15, 1869 when the name was changed to Lenexa.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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South Park - A post office was established January 30, 1888 and discontinued July 31, 1894.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Spring Place - A post office was established July 1, 1872 and discontinued August 8, 1872 when the name was changed to Glenwood.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Squireville - A post office was established December 8, 1857 and discontinued September 29, 1868.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
Listed in the July 5, 1883 edition of The Johnson County Democrat as "Squiresville, a defunct city in Aubry."
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Switzer - A station on the Frisco, Switzer was located twelve miles north of Olathe. Large quantities of milk were shipped from there to Kansas City, Missouri.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas, published 1973 by Laura Steed.
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Wainwright - A post office was established November 27, 1899 and discontinued May 17, 1906 when the name was changed to Clare.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas by Laura Steed.
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Waseca - Cutler's History of Kansas
Waseca - Towns of Yesteryear
Waseca - It is located in the north part of the county in the Kansas River valley at the junction of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad with the Kansas City, Lawrence and Southern Kansas Railroad, about thirteen miles from Kansas City. The first building was begun on the 10th and finished on the 11th of March, 1882. The section house was also built in 1882 and the railroad depot finished in June, 1882. The post office was established June 26, 1882. A Union Church Organization was effected between the Methodists and Baptists early in the summer. On August 1, 1882 there were about 75 people living in houses and 150 in tents. The post office was discontinued November 3, 1885 when the name was changed to Holliday
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas by Laura Steed.
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Wilder - Cutler's History of Kansas
Wilder - Located on the south bank of the Kansas River on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Wilder was about fifteen miles southwest of Kansas City. The post office was established either December 13, 1875 or in 1877. It was discontinued August 31, 1952. A saw mill with a small grist mill attached was built just east of town in 1879. In 1910, Wilder had a population of 84, and in 1912 it had stores, the money order post office, and telegraph and express facilities. In 1915, Wilder and Frisbie station, 2-1/2 miles south, were in the potato belt and many carloads of patatoes were shipped from there every year.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas by Laura Steed.
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Zara - A post office was established December 13, 1882 and discontinued March 4, 1887.
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas by Laura Steed.
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Zarah - Towns of Yesteryear
Zarah - Located on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, ten miles north of Olathe is Zarah. A post office was established September 22, 1890 and discontinued July 15, 1954. It had a population of fifty in 1910 and in 1912 it had the post office and telegraph and express facilities. In 1915, it was said to have a general store that did "an extensive business."
- from Ghost Towns of Johnson County, Kansas by Laura Steed.
Napoleon - Listed in the July 5, 1883 edition of The Johnson County Democrat as a "defunct city on the Kaw River at Choteau's Ferry."
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Shaeriffton - Listed in the July 5, 1883 edition of The Johnson County Democrat as a "defunct city in the south part of Shawnee township."
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Chilicothe - Listed in the July 5, 1883 edition of The Johnson County Democrat as a "defunct city in the west."
See also Olathe
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