The Andrew post office opened in 1841, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1863. Another post office, Silsbee (1840), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 352 in 18702020 census: 380185 years
Founding year: the first Andrew post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1863.The full story ↓
What stands out about Andrew’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Andrew, located in Jackson County, was named for the seventh president, Andrew Jackson.
In 1841 Ansel Briggs, the first governor of Iowa, settled on a location outside of Andrew known as Bluff Mills, later moving his family to town. He became the Jackson County deputy treasurer in 1843 then began a two-year term as Sheriff of Jackson County in 1844. Ansel Briggs won the election against Thomas McKnight for the governor of Iowa in 1846. Briggs served as governor until 1850. On September 22, 1909, the citizens of Andrew erected a granite monument in the city cemetery in his honor. Although Briggs was originally buried in Omaha, Nebraska, he was re-interred in 1909 in the Andrew Cemetery.
Passages that mention Andrew, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Jackson County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., biographical sketches of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion ... history of the Northwest, history of Iowa ... miscellaneous matters,1879 · page 331Read the page →
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On the 5th of July, 1842, the town of Andrew was put up at auction and sold to the highest bidder. In this way, it came into the possession of Ansel Briggs and John Francis, upon the following terms : The public square to be reserved, the Court House and Jail to be held by the Commissioners for twenty years, according to a certain lien given by Briggs and Francis, to pay two certain notes then in the hands of the Commissioners, to assume certain other obligations of the Commissioners' Court, and to pay John G. McDonald for his services in surveying said town of Andrew.
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History of Jackson County, Iowa1910 · page 60Read the page →
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On the 5th of July, 1842, the town of Andrew was put up at auction and sold to the highest bidder. In this way it came into the possession of Ansel Briggs and John Francis, upon the following terms: The public square to be reserved, the courthouse and jail to be held by the commissioners for twenty years, accord¬ ing to a certain lien given by Briggs and Francis to pay two certain notes then in the hands of the commissioners, to assume certain other obligations of the commis¬ sioners’ court, and to pay John G. McDonald for his services in surveying said town of Andrew.
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The history of Jackson County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., biographical sketches of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion ... history of the Northwest, history of Iowa ... miscellaneous matters,1879 · page 518Read the page →
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Andrew has no railroad nor stream near by, nor is there any railroad in early prospect. This difficulty in communicating with other parts of the county has been the fatal blow to the citizens' early hopes, and lost for the town the county seat. A daily stage-line, carrying United States mail and passengers, connects -Maquoketa with Bellevue, by way of Andrew. Three times per week a stage carries mail from Andrew to Dubuque, stopping at Cottonville, Lamotte, and other intermediate points.
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History of Jackson County, Iowa1910 · page 698Read the page →
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Mr. Shinkle attended a famous Fourth of July celebration in Andrew during the county seat contest between Andrew and Bellevue, wherein the citizens of Andrew gave a free dinner to the public which doubtless proved a good factor in the contest, and contributed no little to the victory scored by Andrew. He was also present and witnessed the execution of Joseph Jackson for the murder of Perkins. Jackson was hanged in Andrew in July, 1842. Shinkle saw him brought down from Butterworth’s Tavern and placed on a box or platform on a wagon which was driven under a tree. The rope was fastened to a limb and
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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