Westmoreland History
| How Westmoreland was Named Established in 1858 when a post office was instituted with John McKimens as postmaster. Mr. McKimens named the post office after Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, where he originated. |
| Pottawatomie County History Organized in 1856. Named for the Pottawatomie Indians, whose reservation at the opening of the Kansas Territory for settlement, and for years afterward, embraced a large portion of the geographical area of the County. |
The period from 1854 to 1861 was an important time in Kansas' past. Visit Territorial Kansas for information.
Westmoreland, the county seat of Pottawatomie county, is located in the central part of the county on the Kansas Southern & Gulf R. R., which connects with the Union Pacific at Blaine, 8 miles north. It has 1 national and 2 state banks, an opera house, 2 newspapers and all the general lines of business activity.
There are daily stage lines to Louisville and Wamego on the south line of the county.
The population in 1910 was 500.
The town was platted in 1871 by Volney Baker. Subsequent additions have been made by J. Rachel Artier and A. C. Cochrun.
It was made the county seat by a vote of the people in 1879, but not removed until 1882.
Being a comparatively new town Westmoreland is one of the smallest county seat towns in the eastern part of the state.