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Lohrville, IAPhoto: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · Lohrville

Lohrville’s post office opened in 1881, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

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

1881first post office
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Lohrville began, and where its name came from

When was Lohrville founded?

1881

The Lohrville post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 435 in 18902020 census: 381145 years

How did Lohrville get its name?

Lohrville was named for Jacob A. Lohr, who owned the land where the town was laid out.

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

What stands out about Lohrville’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 Lohrville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 776 in 1930; 381 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Lohrville’s homes were built before 1942.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lohrville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lohrville’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

Lohrville, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 776

Peaked at 776 in 1930; 381 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Lohrville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lohrville.

Read it all →

Lohrville was platted in 1881 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Jacob A. Lohr, who owned the land where the town was laid out.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lohrville, 1881 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Lohrville post office opens
  3. 1890Born hereThomas George Lanphier, Sr. is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 776
  6. 1980On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Lohrville, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Lohrville, IA2020Lohrville, IAIAMap-doton-Lohrville2004IAMap-doton-Lohrville
On the map

Lohrville on the map, 1980 to 1993

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

Lohrville on the 1980 USGS mapLohrville on the 1993 USGS map1980Lohrville 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 Lohrville.

Every building

Lohrville, 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.

Lohrville fire insurance map, 1916, sheet 11916Sheet 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

Lohrville’s post office has been open since 1881.

Gone or out of use
Lohrvillelocale

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

Questions about Lohrville’s history

What year was Lohrville founded?

The Lohrville post office opened in 1881, 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 (2), 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 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.