The following is a timeline of the history of Topeka, Kansas, USA.
19th century
1854 - Topeka Association organized. 1855 Constitution Hall built. Topeka Constitutional Convention held. 1856 - Free-state government installed in Topeka, March 1856.Topeka’s 100 Years of Inspired Leadership, p. 4 (N.p.: 1954), p. 4 (from the archives of the Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kans.). 1857 Topeka incorporated. State Library of Kansas established. 1859 Kansas State Record newspaper begins publication. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway chartered and set up offices and work shops. Wyandotte Constitution makes Topeka the temporary state capital. Topeka Cemetery established. 1860 Grace Church incorporated. Drought. Population: 759. 1861 Wyandotte Constitution designates Topeka as state capitol. Kansas legislature convenes. Episcopal Female Seminary of Topeka chartered. 1863 - Kansas Farmer begins publication. 1864 Topeka threatened during Price's Raid. Fort Simple built in the fall in to defend against Confederate troops during Price's Raid.William C. Pollard, Jr., Forts and Posts in Kansas During the Civil War: 1861-1865 (Charleston, S.C.: CreateSpace, June 12, 2015), pp. 117-9. 1865 Lincoln College founded. Harrison School built. Union Pacific railway begins operating in Eugene. 1867 - Fort Simple torn down in April.Untitled story, The Topeka Weekly Leader, April 18, 1867, p. 3. 1868 - Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad construction begins. 1870 Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library established. Population: 5,790. 1871 - Topeka High School established. 1872 - Topeka State Hospital opens. 1873 - Kansas Academy of Science incorporated. 1875 - Kansas Historical Society founded. 1878 - Topeka Harvey House opens. 1879 - Daily Capital newspaper begins publication. 1880 - Population: 15,452. 1881 - Chartered as a city. 1883 - Public Library building constructed. 1886 - Population: 25,005. 1887 Governor's Mansion built. Topeka Golden Giants baseball team formed. 1890 - Population: 31,007. 1894 - Christ's Hospital established. 1895 - Topeka Industrial and Educational Institute and Stormont Hospital and Training School established. 1897 - Topeka Tent and Awning Company established. 1899 - Gage Park established.
20th century
1900 Bethel Bible College founded. Population: 33,608. 1902 - Smith Automobile Company founded. 1903 - Kansas State Capitol building constructed. 1905 - Topeka Industrial Institute later rebuilt as a women's prison. 1906 - Bethesda Hospital established. 1909 - St. Francis Hospital established. 1910 - Population: 43,684. 1911 - Hayden High School established. 1914 - GAR Memorial Hall built. 1917 - Grace Episcopal Cathedral built. 1920 - Menninger Clinic opens. 1926 - Jayhawk Theatre opens. 1928 - College of the Sisters of Bethany closed. 1933 - Topeka Zoo opens. 1936 - Sumner Elementary School built. 1941 - Topeka Army Air Field established. 1948 - Topeka station established. 1950 Population: 78,791. Railroad station built. 1952 - Topeka Lutheran School opens. 1954 - Brown v. Board of Education decided. 1955 - Westboro Baptist Church opens. 1962 - Cedar Crest (mansion) becomes state governor's official residence. 1965 - Topeka Genealogical Society founded. 1966 - Tornado. 1976 - Forbes Field (airport) in operation. 1980 - Cair Paravel-Latin School founded. 1984 - Kansas Museum of History opens. 1987 - Sunflower State Expo arena opens. 1988 - West Ridge Mall opens. 1989 - Heartland Park Topeka motorsports facility opens. 1991 - Topeka Performing Arts Center opens. 1997 - City website online (approximate date). 1998 - Topeka ScareCrows ice hockey team founded.
21st century
2000s 2003 - Kansas Koyotes football team formed. 2004 Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site opens. Topeka RoadRunners ice hockey team founded. 2005 - Bill Bunten becomes mayor. 2006 - Railroad station built. 2008 - North Topeka Arts District formed. 2009 - Topeka Mudcats women's football team founded.
2010s 2010 Kaw River State Park opens. Population: 127,473.
See also List of mayors of Topeka National Register of Historic Places listings in Shawnee County, Kansas Timeline of Kansas
other cities in Kansas Timeline of Wichita, Kansas
References
Bibliography
1872
1882 1886
1921
Andrews, B. (1995). Topeka: A City of Opportunity (Kansas State Historical Society). Cohen, J. (2007). The History of Topeka ( University of Kansas Press). Holmes, J. (2020). Topeka: A History (Arcadia Publishing). Johnson, C. (1987). A History of Topeka (Kansas State University Press). Johnson, W. (1982). Topeka: An Illustrated History. Kansas State Historical Society). Kappler, P. (2010). Topeka: The History of a Capital City (Kansas State Historical Society). Price, T. (2012). Topeka: The Story of Kansas’ Capital City (University Press of Kansas). Smith, M. (2005). Topeka: An Illustrated History (Kansas Historical Society). White, J. (2003). Topeka: A History (Kansas Heritage Press).
External links
Items related to Topeka, Kansas, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).