Selma is an unincorporated community in Anderson County, Kansas, United States.[1] It is located approximately four miles north-northeast of Kincaid next to a railroad.
History
A post office was opened in Selma in 1887, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1956. At one time, Selma had a one room elementary school, two churches (Christian and Methodist), a blacksmith shop, a hotel, a general store, a drug store, a lumber yard, service station, and other small businesses. The town even had a physician for a short time. The town had two newspapers in its history, The Telephone (published April 1895-March 1896) and The Selma News-Herald (1965-1968).[2]
Selma was established at the junction of the Kansas, Nebraska and Dakota and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroads in 1887. The town initially had two names, as the KN&D named its depot "Trilby," but the MKT named the location "Selma." The latter became the permanent name for the town (the KN&D discontinued its operations in 1934). The MKT maintained its depot until some time in the 1940s. Selma was once a livestock loading point on the Katy's Kansas City to Parsons line, which was purchased by the Union Pacific in 1988. The line is still active today.[citation needed]
Although the town lost its business district over the years, two symbols of the community remained: the Methodist Church and the School (which served as a community center after Selma Elementary School was closed and consolidated with the elementary school in Kincaid in 1964). The community had an active 4-H club and church organizations. The Methodist Church remained the central point for the community until 2001 when the declining number of parishioners forced a consolidation of the Selma church with its counterpart in nearby Kincaid. The consolidated congregation built a new church in Kincaid, and, with no need for separate facilities, the original church buildings in each community were torn down.[citation needed]
Today, only a handful of people live in Selma. The century-old school building, originally built in 1921, still stands.
References
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Selma, Kansas
- ^ "Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961". Kansas Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
Further reading
External links
Municipalities and communities of Anderson County, Kansas, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Townships | ||
| Footnotes | †This community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau. | |