Located within Highland Township in Clay County, Green sits six miles east of Clay Center and four miles north. The town of Green received its name in 1868 when Governor Nehemiah Green offered to buy a bell for the first Methodist Church to be established in a town named Green. The people of the area placed the name on their area, and the Governor made good on his promise.

The Green Methodist Church was established in 1885 in a building erected by RC Maple and CC Kilian. Local residents volunteered their labor for the church. It sat 28 by 50 feet and cost $2,000 in supplies. (Almost $69,000 today.) It could seat 300, meaning the whole town’s population could fit within the church. 

By 1900 there were 120 members of the church. In 1968 the church combined with the Evangelical Methodist Brethren to create the Green United Methodist Church. It had been established in 1891 when services began in an old frame schoolhouse, receiving the charter in 1892. In 1951, an addition and basement was dedicated by Rev. Nellie Klingman. 

The town was platted and laid out by L.T. Smith, which was recorded on September 22, 1881. A Post Office came to town the same year, which was relocated from Powellsburgh. Six additions were recorded between April 28, 1882 and December 8, 1910. 

In 1908 the town was incorporated through the County Commissioners when 56 citizens presented a petition for incorporation. That same year, H.A. McArthur was elected mayor and five councilmen and a treasurer were also elected. There was also a City Clerk, Marshall, and Police Judge. By 1914, the valuation of the City was estimated between $230,000 and $270,000 among a population of 300. 

A Union Pacific train route stopped in Green with two passenger and one freight stop each day. A municipal water works system, telephone system, and city lighting system were all put into place as the town began to grow and new homes were built. 

This led the way to local businesses downtown, including cafes, a hotel, furniture store, and funeral home. Dixon Ave. alone held multiple grocery stores, a creamery, a hardware store, and a car dealership. Several other businesses were also operating around the population peak in 1920.

Photos: Early picture of Green, followed by a modern-day image from Bev Caley. Next, the Methodist Church still holds the bell that was donated by former Kansas Governor Green, for whom the town is named.