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History · Allerton

Allerton’s post office opened in 1871, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Nelson Round Barn.

1871first post office
1on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Art davis · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Allerton began

When was Allerton founded?

1871

The Allerton post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 430155 years
Founding year: the first Allerton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Allerton’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 Allerton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Allerton’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Allerton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Allerton’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

How Allerton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Allerton.

Read it all →

Allerton was platted by the Rock Island Railroad when it came through the area in 1870. It became a legal town in 1874 and had a peak population of 1,600 in 1913. Allerton and Corydon were rivals for the Wayne County seat. On several occasions, during the early establishment of the two towns, county records were moved back and forth, sometimes illegally, before Corydon was declared the county seat.

The southeastern side of the town was heavily damaged by an EF2 tornado on March 5, 2022.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Allerton, 1866 to 1915

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1866Born hereJerrold Robertshaw is born here
  3. 1871Post officeThe Allerton post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1915Born hereMilo Merrit is born here
By decade

Allerton, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Allerton Iowa water tower2015Allerton Iowa water towerIAMap-doton-Allerton2004IAMap-doton-Allerton
On the National Register

1 historic place in Allerton

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
1986
Nelson Round Barn
Buildings
All 1 listings
Nelson Round BarnBuilding · listed 1986

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Allerton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
Jerrold RobertshawBritish actor · b. 1866
M
Milo MerritAmerican politician · b. 1915

Questions about Allerton’s history

What year was Allerton founded?

The Allerton post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Allerton?

One place: the Nelson Round Barn (listed 1986).

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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.