List of Kansas Counties
Asherville | Beloit | Blue Hill | Cawker City | Glen Elder | Hunter | Mennonite Community | Simpson | Tipton | Victor
Homesteading in Mitchell County
Tipton
Tipton was founded by settlers in 1872 looking to farm their own land. Most of them were from Germany, and a small percentage came from Luxemburg. Others came from France and Ireland in later years.
The town was named Pittsburg after the treasurer of the town company, W. A. Pitt. It changed names to Old Pittsburg after another town in Kansas was named Pittsburg, but it was after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This town was known as New Pittsburg. However, there were still problems because people were not putting "old" or "new" Pittsburg on their letters, so people of New Pittsburg sent $150 to the postmaster of Old Pittsburg enticing them to change their name. The Old Pittsburg community changed its name to Tipton, after the county seat of Cedar County, Iowa. Another story goes that the name Tipton is "not Pit" spelled backwards.
Sources
Mitchell County Elementary Students. Mitchell County Historical Essays, 1962-1976. N.D.