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History · Douglas Flat

Douglas Flat’s post office opened in 1879, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Douglas Flat was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Its Register listing is the Douglas Flat School. Below: maps from 1948 on.

1879first post office
1on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Douglas Flat began

When was Douglas Flat founded?

1879

The Douglas Flat post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Douglasflat (1879), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

147 years
Founding year: the first Douglas Flat post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Douglas Flat’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Douglas Flat are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Douglas Flat’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Douglas Flat’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Douglas Flat, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Douglas Flat yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Douglas Flat (formerly Douglasflat and Douglass Flat) is an unincorporated community and census designated place in Calaveras County, California, United States. It lies at an elevation of 1965 feet (599 m) and is located at 38°06′52″N 120°27′18″W. The community is served by ZIP code 95229 and area code 209. Douglas Flat was a roaring mining camp of the early 1850s. In 1857 the Harper and Lone Star Claims produced $130,000 worth of gold. The so-called Central Hill Channel, an ancient river deposit from which vast quantities of gold have been taken, is located here. The town today is registered as California Historical Landmark #272. The first post office opened in 1879, and was closed for a …

Its first post office opened in 1879.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Douglas Flat, 1879 to 1966

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879Post officeThe Douglasflat post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1966Post officeThe Douglasflat post office closes
By decade

Douglas Flat, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Douglas Flat School2014Douglas Flat School
On the map

Douglas Flat on the map, 1948 to 2001

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Douglas Flat. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Douglas Flat on the 1948 USGS mapDouglas Flat on the 1973 USGS mapDouglas Flat on the 2001 USGS map1948Columbia sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Douglas Flat.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Douglas Flat

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Douglas Flat School
Douglas Flat School
Buildings
Douglas Flat SchoolBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Douglas Flat

Nobody well known was born in Douglas Flat itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
T.J. DillashawAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1986
J
Jenny O'HaraAmerican actress · b. 1942
L
Larry J. FrancoAmerican film producer · b. 1949
Melvin Mouron BelliAmerican lawyer · b. 1907
Rocco PrestiaAmerican bassist · b. 1951
T
Tam O'ShaughnessyAmerican educator, children's science writer, p… · b. 1952
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Another post office, Douglasflat, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Gone or out of use
Douglas Flat SchoolschoolMcCarty Pitmine

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Murphys2 historic placesB−

Questions about Douglas Flat’s history

What year was Douglas Flat founded?

The Douglas Flat post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Douglas Flat?

One place: the Douglas Flat School (listed 1973).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.