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History · Bennett

Bennett’s post office opened in 1885, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1890 on and the census since 1900.

1885first post office
0on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Bennett began

When was Bennett founded?

1885

The Bennett post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 238 in 19002020 census: 347141 years
Founding year: the first Bennett post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Bennett’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 Bennett are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18904 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1991. Watch Bennett change.Old housesHalf of Bennett’s homes were built before 1938.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1894 to 1920, drew every building in Bennett.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bennett’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Bennett on the map, 1890 to 1991

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

Bennett on the 1890 USGS mapBennett on the 1953 USGS mapBennett on the 1970 USGS mapBennett on the 1991 USGS map1890Durant 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 Bennett.

The story so far

Bennett, in brief

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

Bennett is a city in Cedar County, Iowa, United States. The population was 347 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1885. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 405 to 347 (-14%).

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

By decade

Bennett, decade by decade

Today6 recent
BennettIowaPopPlot2021BennettIowaPopPlotPeace Church of Christ United, UCC2016Peace Church of Christ United, UCCCity Hall and Library2016City Hall and LibraryBennett, Iowa2016Bennett, IowaInterstate 80 - Iowa2014Interstate 80 - IowaIAMap-doton-Bennett2004IAMap-doton-Bennett
Every building

Bennett, building by building, 1894–1920

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Bennett fire insurance map, 1894, sheet 11894Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Bennett, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 458

Between 238 and 458 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Bennett

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

See all →
Eddy ChandlerActor · b. 1894
Charles H. GabrielAmerican composer of religious music · b. 1856
James A. PetersAmerican zoologist · b. 1922
Samuel W. KosterUS Army general · b. 1919
V
Virgil SnyderAmerican mathematician · b. 1869
Joseph Patrick O'HaraAmerican politician · b. 1895
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Bennett’s post office has been open since 1885.

Gone or out of use
Bennettlocale

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

Questions about Bennett’s history

What year was Bennett founded?

The Bennett post office opened in 1885, 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 (6), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.