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History · Hedrick

Hedrick’s post office opened in 1883, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1890.

1883first post office

0on the National Register

45%homes built before 1940

1famous people

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Photo: Bill Whittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0

Quick answers

How Hedrick began, and where its name came from

When was Hedrick founded?

1883

The Hedrick post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 592 in 18902020 census: 728143 years

How did Hedrick get its name?

Hedrick was named for General Hedrick.

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

What stands out about Hedrick’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 Hedrick are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,035 in 1900; 728 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Hedrick’s homes were built before 1959.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hedrick’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hedrick’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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People over time

Hedrick, census by census

Peaked at 1,035 in 1900; 728 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Hedrick came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hedrick.

Read it all →

In 1882, the Burlington and Western Railway a narrow gauge line, and its competitor, the Iowa Central Railway, built competing east–west lines through the area. These crossed the Rock Island tracks here, so it was a natural location for a station and town.

Hedrick was incorporated on April 23, 1883. It was named for General Hedrick.

The Burlington and Western was widened to standard gauge in 1902 and merged into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy a year later. The Minneapolis and St. Louis took over the Iowa Central around the same time, and the Burlington line was abandoned in 1934.

By 1991 several businesses in the community's main street closed, and the economy had declined. The school serving the town closed that year.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Hedrick in 1903

Passages that mention Hedrick, cut from the printed page as they were published.

as a student, we note here that he has taken four special courses since that time in Chicago, and several others in different branches of his profession. He first located at Long's Mill, Iowa, but on the organization of the town of Hedrick he cast in his lot here, as stated, being the first physici… — **A genealogical and biographical history of Keokuk County, Iowa ..**1903 · page 242Read the page →
Read the text
as a student, we note here that he has taken four special courses since that time in Chicago, and several others in different branches of his profession. He first located at Long's Mill, Iowa, but on the organization of the town of Hedrick he cast in his lot here, as stated, being the first physician on the ground. This was in the year of 1882, and he has been constantly engaged in that profession in the city of Hedrick since that time. During that time the doctor has kept himself in close touch with his brother physicians through being a member of the Des
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

The above named gentleman lias been prominently identified with the growth of the enterprising town of Hedrick since its inception. He is responsible for much of its material growth and prosperity. He is at the present time president of the First National Bank and is also president of the Hedrick S… — **A genealogical and biographical history of Keokuk County, Iowa ..**1903 · page 330Read the page →
Read the text
The above named gentleman lias been prominently identified with the growth of the enterprising town of Hedrick since its inception. He is responsible for much of its material growth and prosperity. He is at the present time president of the First National Bank and is also president of the Hedrick State Savings Bank, both of Hedrick. His nativity dates in the Hoosier state, where he was born in Clark county, April ii, 1842. He is the son of James B. Young, also a native of Clark county, Indiana, who brought his family to Keokuk county, Iowa,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Hedrick, 1883 to 1956

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

19th century
1883Post officeThe Hedrick post office opens
20th century
1900CensusPopulation peaks at 1,035
1920Born hereNeal Edward Smith is born here
1956On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey

By decade

Hedrick, decade by decade

Today5 recent

2022Untitled photo

2021HedrickIowaPopPlot

2012Hedrick, Iowa

2010Hedrick iowa

2004IAMap-doton-Hedrick

On the map

Hedrick on the map, 1956 to 1980

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

1956Ottumwa North 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 Hedrick.

Every building

Hedrick, building by building, 1916

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 sheet.

Hedrick fire insurance map, 1916, sheet 1

1916Sheet 1 of 1

Sheets

BrickWoodStone

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Hedrick’s post office has been open since 1883.

Gone or out of use

Hedricklocale

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

Questions about Hedrick’s history

What year was Hedrick founded?

The Hedrick post office opened in 1883, 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 →

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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 (5), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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