Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Mystic

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Mystic

Mystic dates to 1857, and 59% of its homes were built before 1940

1857founded
0on the National Register
59%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Mystic began

When was Mystic founded?

1857

Mystic dates its founding to 1857 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1887.

2020 census: 322169 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1887.The full story ↓

What stands out about Mystic’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 Mystic are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Mystic’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mystic’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Mystic.

Read it all →

At the end of the 19th century, "the valley of Walnut Creek was one continuous mining camp, known under different names, Jerome, Diamond, Mystic, Clarkdale, Rathbun and Darby" (later known as Darbyville). The present name is derived from Mystic, Connecticut. A. M. Elgin opened the first coal mine in the Mystic area in 1857, about 1.5 miles north of Mystic on Little Walnut Creek. The Mystic coal seam was exposed on the surface there, and drifts were opened and abandoned over the next few decades until the hills were honeycombed with mines.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Mystic, decade by decade

Today2 recent
MysticIowaWaterTank2024MysticIowaWaterTankIAMap-doton-Mystic2004IAMap-doton-Mystic
Famous people

Famous people close to Mystic

Nobody well known was born in Mystic itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Thomas E. MartinAmerican politician · b. 1893
Simon EstesAmerican opera singer · b. 1938
Claude PaytonAmerican actor · b. 1882
George McGillAmerican politician · b. 1879
Don C. EdwardsAmerican politician · b. 1861
R
Richard DudmanAmerican journalist · b. 1918

Questions about Mystic’s history

What year was Mystic founded?

In 1857, according to Wikidata. Mystic’s post office opened in 1887.

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, 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.