Editing Centralia, Kansas (section)

==History==
Centralia was founded in 1859, one mile north of the present town. When a railroad was built through the territory in 1867, Centralia was moved to the site.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5zdAAQAAMAAJ | title=Biennial Report of the Board of Directors of the Kansas State Historical Society | publisher=Kansas State Printing Plant | author=Kansas State Historical Society | year=1916 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5zdAAQAAMAAJ/page/n356 249]}}</ref> Centralia was incorporated in 1882.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_o8X5krq3fP8C | title=Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. | publisher=Standard Publishing Company | author=Blackmar, Frank Wilson | year=1912 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_o8X5krq3fP8C/page/n303 307]}}</ref> One of the early residents of Centralia was [[Floyd Perry Baker]], a Kansas politician and newspaper editor, who moved there with his family from [[Andrew County, Missouri]] ''circa'' 1860.

In 1901, Centralia was the scene of violent conflicts between whites and African Americans. By this time, Centralia had a [[sundown town]] policy forbidding blacks from living in the area.<ref>{{cite news|title=Negroes Hold a Town|work=Ottawa County Index|location=Minneapolis, Kansas|date= October 3, 1901|page=1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29070264/|via=Newspapers.com|quote=The little town of Centralia, Kan., is in the hands of a mob of negroes. The cause of the trouble grew out of the action of a number of citizens of Centralia, making an attack on the home of a negro by the name of Whitmire and firing several shots through the roof of his house and finally destroying his home and compelling the negroes to flee in the night for safety. No negroes are allowed to live in the vicinity of Centralia. The negroes returned in large numbers and rode up and down the streets firing their guns at random, driving all the whites indoors.}}</ref>