The story
Read it all →How Alexander came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Alexander.
Alexander was platted in 1885, not long after the Central Railroad of Iowa had been built through the territory.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Alexander
Alexander’s post office opened in 1882, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1972 on and the census since 1910.
1882first post office
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Alexander began
When was Alexander founded?
1882
The Alexander post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 262 in 19102020 census: 164144 years
Founding year: the first Alexander post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Alexander’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Alexander’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Alexander’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Alexander, census by census
Peaked at 334 in 1930; 164 people lived here in 2020.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Alexander’s Wikipedia page.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Alexander in 1914
Passages that mention Alexander, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Franklin County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement1914Read the page →
Read the text
Alexander was laid out and platted for F. E. Carter, June 8, 1885, by W. F. Kelley, surveyor. The place was incorporated in 1902 and now has a population of 300.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Alexander, 1882 to 1972
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1882Post officeThe Alexander post office opens
- 20th century
- 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 334
- 1972
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
Alexander, decade by decade
Today2 recent
2021
2004On the map
Alexander on the map, 1972 to 1984
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Alexander. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1972Alexander sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Alexander.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Alexander
Nobody well known was born in Alexander itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
T
Tom LathamAmerican politician · b. 1948
G
George LambertAmerican modern pentathlete, born 1928 · b. 1928Places that used to be
Places now gone and burying grounds
Alexander’s post office has been open since 1882.
Gone or out of use
Alexanderlocale
1cemetery inside Alexander
Alexander
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Alexander’s history
What year was Alexander founded?
The Alexander post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.