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History · Doon

Doon’s post office opened in 1871, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

1871first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Don Graham on Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Doon began

When was Doon founded?

1871

The Doon post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1892.

2020 census: 619155 years
Founding year: the first Doon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1892.The full story ↓

What stands out about Doon’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 Doon are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Doon’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Doon’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Doon’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 Doon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Doon.

Read it all →

Located on a plateau on the eastern bank of the Rock River, the city was named after the River Doon in Scotland, made famous as the subject of Robert Burns' poem, "The Banks O' Doon". Doon was first settled in 1869 by a small group of settlers. Founded by G. W. Bowers and A. H. Davison on September 6, 1889, the railway town was connected first by the Rock Valley Railway, followed by the Iowa & Dakota Railroad. The city was incorporated on March 8, 1892.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Doon, 1871 to 1928

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Doon post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1912Born hereFrederick Manfred is born here
  5. 1928Born hereJean Ray Laury is born here
By decade

Doon, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Graham Farm, Doon, IA 7-27-132013Graham Farm, Doon, IA 7-27-13Farms and Crops, IA 7-26-13j2013Farms and Crops, IA 7-26-13jFarms and Crops, IA 7-26-13i2013Farms and Crops, IA 7-26-13iMainStDoonIA20052005MainStDoonIA2005Grandparents' Old Farm, Doon, IA 20052005Grandparents' Old Farm, Doon, IA 2005IAMap-doton-Doon2004IAMap-doton-Doon
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Doon

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

See all →
F
Frederick ManfredNovelist · b. 1912
Jean Ray LauryAmerican quilt artist · b. 1928

Questions about Doon’s history

What year was Doon founded?

The Doon post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1892.

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), 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.