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History · Dedham

Dedham’s post office opened in 1882, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1971 on and the census since 1890.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Dedham began, and where its name came from

When was Dedham founded?

1882

The Dedham post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1883.

First census: 273 in 18902020 census: 224144 years

How did Dedham get its name?

Dedham was named for Dedham, Massachusetts.

Founding year: the first Dedham post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1883. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Dedham’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 Dedham are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 392 in 1940; 224 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Dedham’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dedham’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dedham’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

Dedham, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 392

Peaked at 392 in 1940; 224 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Dedham came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dedham.

Read it all →

Dedham got its start in the year 1881, following construction of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway through that territory. It was named for Dedham, Massachusetts.

St. Joseph Parish was founded in 1891 by German and English Catholics. They built the first church in 1892 with a new, larger church coming in 1904. The present church was dedicated on October 1, 1940, by Bishop Edmond Heelan.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Dedham, 1882 to 1971

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882Post officeThe Dedham post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 392
  5. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Dedham, decade by decade

Today2 recent
DedhamIowaPopPlot2021DedhamIowaPopPlotIAMap-doton-Dedham2004IAMap-doton-Dedham
On the map

Dedham on the map, 1971 to 1993

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

Dedham on the 1971 USGS mapDedham on the 1984 USGS mapDedham on the 1993 USGS map1971Dedham sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Dedham

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

See all →
George GallupAmerican statistician · b. 1901
Loren ShriverAmerican astronaut · b. 1944
Nick NurseAmerican basketball coach · b. 1967
James EllisonAmerican actor · b. 1910
E
Everett RogersAmerican academic · b. 1931
C
C. W. McCallAmerican singer, activist and politician · b. 1928

Questions about Dedham’s history

What year was Dedham founded?

The Dedham post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1883.

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), 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.