BlockBefore

Anderson County, Kansas

30 topographic sheets cover 14 settlements here, and 5 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

5 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Kansas within the United States
Anderson County within Kansas

What the record shows

  • 234 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 5 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 4 buildings and 1 structure.
  • 2 of the 5 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 14 populated places in this county; 14 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

5

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Anderson County Courthousebuilding197272000483
Sennett and Bertha Kirk Housebuilding200505001199
Shelley-Tipton Housebuilding198282002650
Spencer's Crossing Bridgestructure199089002177
Samuel J. Tipton Housebuilding197575000703

Wildfire, 2015 to 2020

273 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 273 of them, burning about 3,392 acres. 3 started naturally and 7 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined122
Debris and open burning118
Equipment and vehicle use19
Arson/incendiarism7
Natural3
Smoking3
Fireworks1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
22 March 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined400 acresLinn CountyWEST 1650
9 March 2018Debris and open burning120 acresKansas Forest Service1851026
11 April 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined100 acresKansas Forest Service1551050
7 May 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined100 acresKansas Forest Service1551055
22 March 2015Debris and open burning100 acresKansas Forest Service1552062
16 April 2018Debris and open burning75 acresKansas Forest Service1851044
31 March 2017Debris and open burning60 acresAnderson County1751029
31 March 2015Debris and open burning60 acresKansas Forest Service1557027

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1954 to 2026

60 of 407 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 407 reports for this county, causing 3 deaths, 13 injuries and about $7,570,030 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail175
Thunderstorm Wind139
Flash Flood62
Tornado15
Flood10
Heavy Rain3
Funnel Cloud2
Lightning1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 1964Tornado (F4)not stated3 killed, 9 hurt, $250,000no account filed
May 2003Tornado (F2)Colony3 hurt, $1,100,000A tornado formed 5 miles southeast of Colony and traveled a 15 mile path northeast before entering Linn county and dissipating. While in Anderson county the tornado injured 3 people, destroyed 7 homes and seriously damaged 2 others.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindGreely1 hurtA semi-trailer was blown off Highway 169. Time was estimated from radar.
May 1981Tornado (F2)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
June 2007FloodScipio$1,000,000With persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms, Pottawatomie Creek reaches moderate flooding and continues to rise to record levels. Heavy rains continue intermittently for the rest of the month with widespread flooding developing. Flooding becomes more prevalent around Garnett and Colony by sunrise on the 30th with major streets and highways becoming impassable. By that evening...water rescues and emergency airlifts are being performed and all roads are closed going into Anderson County. Flooding continues into July.
July 2007FloodScipio$500,000Widespread flooding continues into early July. Numerous roads are still under water from heavy rain in late June. A state report said eight houses in the county received minor damage and another nine were affected by the flooding.
November 1998Flash FloodGarnett$400,000no account filed
April 1961Tornado (F2)not stated$250,000no account filed
July 1956Tornado (F3)not stated$250,000no account filed
May 2007FloodGarnett$200,000Persistent heavy rain through the predawn and early forenoon hours brought flooding of streets and creeks in and around Garnett. Unofficial estimates of three to four inches of rain were received during this time. One water rescue was made of a motorist swept away by high water. Some rural roads and small bridges were also flooded.
June 2007Flash FloodGarnett$100,000Many primary roads and almost all secondary roads are flooded around Garnett and throughout Anderson county.
June 2007Flash FloodGarnett$100,000Two feet of water over the intersection of 600 road and Arkansas. Roadway was deemed impassible by local law enforcement. Numerous gravel roads under water southwest portion of Anderson county. Some areas one foot deep. 6.5 inches of rain measured in 30 hours. Every unpaved road has water running over them.
September 2005Heavy RainGarnett$100,000Urban and street flooding in and around Garnett.
July 2007Flash FloodGarnett$80,000Car was swept off the roadway by flowing water...and into a ditch near the intersection of hwy 31 and Meade road...near Cedar Creek. Driver was rescued and uninjured.
July 2007Flash FloodGarnett$75,000Up to 6 inches of running water was reported to be flowing over 6th street. Spotter also reported 4.1 inches of rain had fallen in approximately 2 hours. One lane of highway 59 is closed in the city of Garnett.
June 2007Flash FloodGarnett$70,000Water was flowing over a bridge south of the Anderson/Franklin county line on Jewell Road...also known as Kentucky Road. Numerous streets have flooded in the city of Greely and have been barricaded. Road closures have also been reported at other sites in northern Anderson county.
June 2025Flash FloodGarnett Muni Arpt$50,000Two water rescues occurred from their vehicles east of Garnett.
June 2007Flash FloodColony$50,000Numerous secondary roads under water. 2.5 feet of water flowing over 1700 road and Geary road. 3 feet of fast flowing water reported over southwest Iowa road just west of highway 169.
July 2006LightningColony$50,000Lightning from a severe electrical storm brought power outages to several hundred customers throughout Anderson County. The time of the lightning strike in Colony is estimated. However, this strike at the telephone cooperative station in Colony produced some of the worst damage the technicians there had ever seen.
August 2005Flash FloodNorth Portion$50,000Numerous rural roads flooded.
July 2005Flash FloodGarnett$50,000Up to six inches of fast flowing water over highway 31 near mile marker 65.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindColony$50,000no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindWelda$50,000no account filed
June 2007Flash FloodGarnett$30,000Water rescue ongoing on Missouri Road off of highway 31.
October 1998Flash FloodGarnett$25,000no account filed
June 1996Thunderstorm WindGarnett$25,000no account filed
November 1982Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
April 1974Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 2025FloodScipio$20,000Water rescue occurred south of 2300 and Meade.
September 1998FloodGarnett$20,000Up to 8 inches of rain caused flooding in Garnett and surrounding areas causing numerous road closures and damage around 20 thousand dollars.
June 2007Flash FloodGarnett$10,000Th EM received several public reports that up to 2 of rain fell in a period of 45 minutes. A few gravel roads were water covered and closed near Bush City. Elsewhere in the county, deputies 7 miles north of Kincaid reported that the intersection of 1100 and Utah Road was flooded. One vehicle had to be extracted from the flood waters, but no injuries were reported. Up to 3.5 inches of rain was reported to have fallen during the two hour period between 4 and 6pm CDT 2 miles east of Selma.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindGarnett$7,000Strong winds damaged a car and blew down a tree on a van doing considerable damage.
March 2004Flash FloodGarnett$7,000no account filed
June 2001Thunderstorm WindWestphalia$6,000Strong winds damaged a garage and drove a beam through the wall of a house.
May 2006Flash FloodWestphalia$5,0003 inches of rainfall in a short period of time caused streams to rise out of their banks in parts of the county. The intense rain brought up to six inches of fast flowing water across some rural roads.
May 2006Flash FloodGarnett$5,000Thunderstorms dropped heavy rainfall during the evening hours across northern Anderson County. Law enforcement reported at least 6 inches of fast flowing water over Highway 59 or Maple Street in Garnett. County officials also reported fast flowing water over 2350 and 2400 roads between US Highways 59 and 169 in the northwest parts of Anderson County.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindWelda$5,000Strong winds damaged barns and sheds south of Welda.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindKincaid$5,000Strong winds downed power poles and blew off the roof of a trailer.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindGarnett$5,000High winds downed trees, tree limbs, and power lines. Winds were estimated at 70 mph.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindGarnett$5,000Winds estimated at 60 mph produced some damaged to trees and power lines.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindGarnett$4,000Strong winds blew down some trees and did roof damage to 3 buildings in Garnett.
May 1969Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
September 2012Thunderstorm WindColony$2,000Near Colony 2 small out buildings were damaged and a few trees were down near the Intersection of 200 and Delaware.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindScipio$2,000A trained spotter near Richmond reported an estimated 70 mph wind gust. An emergency manager reported an electrical pole down near Garnett.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindGarnett$2,000Tree limbs were blown down on the roofs of 2 or 3 buildings in Garnett doing minor damage.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindGarnett$1,000A power pole in Garnett was snapped.
September 2009FloodColony$1,000One car stalled in a low water crossing while attempting to drive through water.
June 2010Tornado (EF0)Welda$500A brief tornado pulled up a playset that was anchored into the ground with concrete. The tornado lasted for around one minute before lifting as witnessed by the homeowner. It was described as a thin white rope funnel. Estimated winds of 75 to 80 mph.
May 1960Tornado (F0)not stated$30no account filed
March 2026Thunderstorm WindGarnett-Storm survey was conducted and found damage consistent with a downburst wind event. High end damage included broken power and light poles, destroyed farm outbuildings and numerous downed trees and large branches (hardwood). Wind core was 2 mi wide and 6 mi long. Estimated peak winds of 80-85 MPH.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindWestphalia-Storm survey found straight-line wind damage found consistent with a downburst. Estimated peak winds of 65-70 MPH. Two areas of outdoor sheds badly damaged or completely destroyed, a few power poles snapped and occasional 2 to 4 inch tree branches broken.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindWelda-Kansas State Mesonet site Welda 3E recorded a 58 mph gust.
March 2026HailWestphalia-Emergency manager relayed public report with pictures of quarter size hail.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindColony-Also observed pea size hail.
May 2025HailLone Elm-Quarter size hail in Lone Elm.
May 2025HailGarnett-Quarter size hail in Garnett.
May 2025Flash FloodBush City-Water rescue reported near Bush City.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindColony-Roof blown off from house.
May 2024Flash FloodGarnett-Roads remained closed south of Garnett as of 1:48 AM cdt. Campground near cedar creek reservoir was closed due to flooding.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindAmiot-Downed trees and tree branches.

Mines and quarries

1 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 1 working inside this county. It still produces. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Stone, Crushed/Broken1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Garnett Quarry & MillStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer

Every populated place in the county

14

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.