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13. Drakesville Park (Drakesville, Iowa) on the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail (2004)Photo: NPS · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Drakesville

Drakesville’s post office opened in 1848, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1850.

1848first post office
0on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: NPS · Public domain
Quick answers

How Drakesville began, and where its name came from

When was Drakesville founded?

1848

The Drakesville post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 198 in 18502020 census: 164178 years

How did Drakesville get its name?

Drakesville was named for its founder, John A. Drake.

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

What stands out about Drakesville’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 Drakesville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 303 in 1890; 164 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1848: 178 years of Drakesville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Drakesville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Drakesville’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

Drakesville, census by census

01002003001850190019502000Peak: 303

Peaked at 303 in 1890; 164 people lived here in 2020.

17 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Timeline

Drakesville, 1848 to 1956

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1848Post officeThe Drakesville post office opens
  3. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 303
  4. 20th century
  5. 1950Born hereKurt Swaim is born here
  6. 1956On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Drakesville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Drakesville.

Read it all →

Drakesville (historically Drakeville) was founded in 1847. It was named for its founder, John A. Drake.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Drakesville, decade by decade

Today3 recent
DrakesvilleIowaPopPlot2021DrakesvilleIowaPopPlotIAMap-doton-Drakesville2004IAMap-doton-Drakesville13. Drakesville Park (Drakesville, Iowa) on the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail (2004)200413. Drakesville Park (Drakesville, Iowa) on the Mormo…
On the map

Drakesville on the map, 1956 to 1980

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

Drakesville on the 1956 USGS mapDrakesville on the 1980 USGS map1956Ottumwa South 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 Drakesville.

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Drakesville’s post office has been open since 1848.

Gone or out of use
Drakesvillelocale

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

Questions about Drakesville’s history

What year was Drakesville founded?

The Drakesville post office opened in 1848, 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 (3), 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) 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.