The story
Read it all →How Monmouth came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Monmouth.
Monmouth was laid out in 1856. It took its name from Monmouth Township.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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History · Monmouth
Monmouth’s post office opened in 1855, and 54% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1900.
1855first post office
0on the National Register
54%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Quick answers
How Monmouth began
When was Monmouth founded?
1855
The Monmouth post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1856.
First census: 281 in 19002020 census: 129171 years
Founding year: the first Monmouth post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1856.The full story ↓
What stands out about Monmouth’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Monmouth’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Monmouth’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.From the old history books
What they wrote about Monmouth, 1879–1910
Passages that mention Monmouth, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Jackson County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., biographical sketches of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion ... history of the Northwest, history of Iowa ... miscellaneous matters,1879 · page 602Read the page →
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Monmouth was platted by W. F. Douglas June 15, 1855, and was located on the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 20, in Monmouth Township. A town to which the name Coloma was given was laid out by Dr.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Jackson County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., biographical sketches of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion ... history of the Northwest, history of Iowa ... miscellaneous matters,1879 · page 599Read the page →
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It was not until the building of the railroad in 1871, however, that any considerable progress was made. The town of Baldwin adjoining Fremont on the east, was platted by Edward Baldwin, October 20, 1871, being located on the northwest quarter of Section 22, in Monmouth Township. The village is now known as Baldwin, that being the name given alike to the depot and the post
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Jackson County, Iowa1910 · page 65Read the page →
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Joshua Beer, another 1836 settler, claimed land in what became Monmouth township, and erected his log cabin about eighty rods due west of the present Main street of Baldwin, in the northwest quarter of section 21. The first schoolhouse in Monmouth township was built on his land, I believe. It was situated just north of the present limits of Baldwin and was called “Shake Rag Schoolhouse.” Beer Creek was named after Joshua Beer. He was an enthu¬ siastic hunter and while on a hunting expedition with David Scott they dis¬ covered Burt’s caves in the forks of the Maquoketa. In Joshua Beer’s family
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History of Jackson County, Iowa1910 · page 119Read the page →
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Professor Savage in the Jackson County Report recognizes the bowlders in the valley near the village of Monmouth as undoubtedly Iowan, but believes they must have floated over the hills to the westward in icebergs. Professor Leverett agrees with other geologists that whatever Iowan ice may have invaded Jackson county, it contained and deposited very little till or other debris.
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.
By decade
Monmouth, decade by decade
Date unknown1 to date
Date?On the map
Monmouth on the map, 1891 to 1980
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Monmouth. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1891Baldwin sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Monmouth.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewMill Rock Bridge, Spanning Big Bear Creek
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Monmouth’s page.
Retake this view · +15People over time
Monmouth, census by census
Between 129 and 291 people in every census since 1900.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Monmouth’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Monmouth
Nobody well known was born in Monmouth itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Questions about Monmouth’s history
What year was Monmouth founded?
The Monmouth post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1856.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, 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 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.