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History · Packwood

Packwood’s post office opened in 1883, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

1883first post office
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Bill Whittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Packwood began

When was Packwood founded?

1883

The Packwood post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 183143 years
Founding year: the first Packwood post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Packwood’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 Packwood are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Packwood’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Packwood’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Packwood’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 so far

Packwood, in brief

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

Packwood is a city in Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 183 at the time of the 2020 census. The Burlington and Western Railway arrived in Packwood in late 1882. This was a narrow gauge line, widened to standard gauge in 1902 and taken over by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, and then sold to the Minneapolis and St. Louis in 1934.

Its first post office opened in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 204 to 183 (-10%).

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

Timeline

Packwood, 1883 to 1976

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Packwood post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1973Born hereAdrian Dickey is born here
  5. 1976Born hereMatthew Christopher is born here
By decade

Packwood, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Packwood Iowa2010Packwood IowaIAMap-doton-Packwood2004IAMap-doton-Packwood
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Packwood

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Matthew ChristopherAmerican fashion designer · b. 1976
A
Adrian DickeyIowa politician · b. 1973
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Packwood’s post office has been open since 1883.

Gone or out of use
Packwoodlocale

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

Questions about Packwood’s history

What year was Packwood founded?

The Packwood post office opened in 1883, 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 →
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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), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.