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History · Hubbard

Hubbard’s post office opened in 1880, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1979 on and the census since 1890.

1880first post office
0on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Mavis Cook /FortepanIowa · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Hubbard began, and where its name came from

When was Hubbard founded?

1880

The Hubbard post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 452 in 18902020 census: 860146 years

How did Hubbard get its name?

Hubbard was named for Judge Nathaniel M. Hubbard, railroad attorney.

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

What stands out about Hubbard’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 Hubbard are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hubbard’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hubbard’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Hubbard.

Read it all →

Hubbard was settled as a community in the year 1880, following construction of the railroad through the territory. It was named for Judge Nathaniel M. Hubbard, railroad attorney.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hubbard, 1880 to 1979

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880Post officeThe Hubbard post office opens
  3. 1884Born hereRoss Cady is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1979On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Hubbard, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Zion United Church of Christ in2024Zion United Church of Christ inUnited States Post Office in2024United States Post Office inOld Hubbard, IA Fire Truck2024Old Hubbard, IA Fire TruckHubbard, Iowa Fire Department 6-5-242024Hubbard, Iowa Fire Department 6-5-24HubbardIowaPopPlot2021HubbardIowaPopPlotUntitled photo2018Untitled photo
On the map

Hubbard on the map, 1979 to 1993

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

Hubbard on the 1979 USGS mapHubbard on the 1985 USGS mapHubbard on the 1993 USGS map1979Hubbard 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 Hubbard.

People over time

Hubbard, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 885

Between 452 and 885 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Hubbard’s post office has been open since 1880.

Gone or out of use
Hubbardlocale
1cemetery inside Hubbard
Hubbard

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

Questions about Hubbard’s history

What year was Hubbard founded?

The Hubbard post office opened in 1880, 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), 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.