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History · Coleman

Coleman’s post office opened in 1884, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1910.

1884first post office
0on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Coleman began

When was Coleman founded?

1884

The Coleman post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 387 in 19102020 census: 642142 years
Founding year: the first Coleman post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Coleman’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 Coleman are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,022 in 1980; 642 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Coleman’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Coleman’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
People over time

Coleman, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,022

Peaked at 1,022 in 1980; 642 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Coleman’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Coleman came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Coleman.

Read it all →

On June 8, 1840, Colonel W. J. Worth, Colonel Bennet Riley, and the Second Infantry and Eighth Infantry divisions transferred to Fort McClure to search the Lake Panasoffkee area for Seminole warriors. Three days later, the troops discovered an empty village.

By 1853, the "Fort McClure" community was renamed "Warm Springs".

In 1882, it was officially incorporated as a municipality and renamed the "Town of Coleman" after Dr. B.F. Coleman.

ChaptersSecond Seminole WarModern town

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Coleman, 1884 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Coleman post office opens
  3. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,022
By decade

Coleman, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Bobby's Antique Store;2013Bobby's Antique Store;Coleman FL Nicks House032011Coleman FL Nicks House03Coleman FL Nicks House022011Coleman FL Nicks House02Coleman FL Nicks House012011Coleman FL Nicks House01Coleman FL Caruthers House032011Coleman FL Caruthers House03Coleman FL Caruthers House022011Coleman FL Caruthers House02Coleman FL Caruthers House012011Coleman FL Caruthers House01Coleman FL house032008Coleman FL house03Coleman FL house022008Coleman FL house02Coleman FL house012008Coleman FL house01FLMap-doton-Coleman2004FLMap-doton-ColemanRoad photo from August 4, 2002 1202002Road photo from August 4, 2002 120
On the map

Coleman on the map, 1893 to 1967

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

Coleman on the 1893 USGS mapColeman on the 1967 USGS map1893Panasoffkee sheet · 1:62,500

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Coleman

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

See all →
Elizabeth CookAmerican singer · b. 1972
Red RobbinsAmerican basketball player · b. 1944
Theo CrokerAmerican jazz musician · b. 1985
Dan HinoteAmerican ice hockey player and coach · b. 1977
J
Jermaine TaylorAmerican basketball player · b. 1986
Keanu NealAmerican football player · b. 1995
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

WildwoodIts storyD

Questions about Coleman’s history

What year was Coleman founded?

The Coleman post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (12), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.