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History · Humeston

Humeston’s post office opened in 1873, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1890.

1873first post office
0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: robertstinnett from Boonville, MO, USA · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Humeston began

When was Humeston founded?

1873

The Humeston post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 642 in 18902020 census: 465153 years
Founding year: the first Humeston post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Humeston’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 Humeston are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,214 in 1920; 465 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1913, drew every building in Humeston.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Humeston’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Humeston’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

Humeston, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,214

Peaked at 1,214 in 1920; 465 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Every building

Humeston, building by building, 1893–1913

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 year, then a sheet.

Humeston fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 21893Sheet 2 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

The story so far

Humeston, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Humeston yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Humeston is a city in Wayne County, Iowa, United States. The population was 465 in the 2020 census, a decline from 542 in 2000.

Its first post office opened in 1873. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 494 to 465 (-6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Humeston, 1873 to 1954

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873Post officeThe Humeston post office opens
  3. 1890Born hereMatthew H. Kingman is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 1,214
  6. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Humeston, decade by decade

Today5 recent
HumestonIowaPopPlot2021HumestonIowaPopPlotHumeston, Iowa2016Humeston, IowaHumeston, Iowa2014Humeston, IowaHumeston, Iowa2013Humeston, IowaIAMap-doton-Humeston2004IAMap-doton-Humeston
On the map

Humeston on the map, 1954 to 1981

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

Humeston on the 1954 USGS mapHumeston on the 1977 USGS mapHumeston on the 1981 USGS map1954Centerville sheet · 1:250,000

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Humeston’s post office has been open since 1873.

Gone or out of use
Humestonlocale

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

Questions about Humeston’s history

What year was Humeston founded?

The Humeston post office opened in 1873, 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 (5), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.