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The Commemorative
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The Commemorative Quarter for Kansas





Welcome to Spencer ...

Spencer is located in Shawnee County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of Spencer, you might get a feel for it by knowing that the earliest mention that we've found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.

Spencer is 860 feet [262 m] above sea level.<2>.

Time Zone: Spencer lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Code for Spencer: 785

Communities Also Named Spencer ...

While we believe that this Spencer is located in Shawnee County, we know of another 2 Kansas communities named Spencer. Those communities are located in the following counties: Atchison and Ness County.

Beyond Kansas, there are 35 communities that are also named Spencer - they are located in Alabama (2), Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois (2), Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky (2), Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi (2), Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina (2), Ohio (4), Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Spencer.

Communities near Spencer ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Spencer.

  • Topeka
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Lawrence
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Silver Lake
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Silver Lake is located in Shawnee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,395 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silver Lake <3>
  • Carbondale
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carbondale have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
    • Carbondale is located in Osage County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,347 people
  • Auburn
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Valley Falls
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Falls
    • Valley Falls is located in Jefferson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,152 people
    • Valley Falls has also been known as:
    • Sautrelle
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valley Falls <3>
  • Oskaloosa
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Overbrook
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Perry
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • McLouth
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Spencer. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Spencer.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Spencer. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Spencer.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Spencer. See our Newspapers Page for Spencer.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Spencer ...

Looking for more information about Spencer? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Spencer, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Spencer.

Adding Spencer to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Spencer in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Spencer was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).

We also found Spencer on a map titled Rand McNally Map of Kansas (1911).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Spencer.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Spencer. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Shawnee County: www.co.shawnee.ks.us/

The official website for State of Kansas: https://portal.kansas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Kansas' counties, including Shawnee, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Spencer - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<5>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025