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Twin BridgeTwin Bridge · Photo: Joseph Elliott · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Randalia

Randalia’s post office opened in 1874, and 69% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1900.

1874first post office
0on the National Register
69%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Randalia began, and where its name came from

When was Randalia founded?

1874

The Randalia post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 117 in 19002020 census: 50152 years

How did Randalia get its name?

Randalia was named for the railroad surveying engineer, Andrew Randall, and his brothers: Josie Pitney, and Alonzo.

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

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

Start Randalia’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Randalia’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Randalia came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Randalia.

Read it all →

Randalia was established in 1873 when a rail line was built in the community. It was named for the railroad surveying engineer, Andrew Randall, and his brothers: Josie Pitney, and Alonzo. The Randalia post office was established in 1874.

Randalia United Methodist Church was founded in 1892, with the Ladies' Aid Society of Randalia raising money for the building of a church. Groundbreaking began that year, and the building was completed on December 8, 1894, with services held the following day.

By 2007, locals in Randalia were finding their community in a state of decline. In October 2007, the city lost its post office, some time after losing its school and general store.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Randalia on the map, 1901 to 1981

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

Randalia on the 1901 USGS mapRandalia on the 1981 USGS map1901Oelwein sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Randalia, census by census

01001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 132

Between 50 and 132 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Randalia

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

See all →
Dick WagnerAmerican guitarist · b. 1942
J
John Francis KinneyCatholic bishop · b. 1937
Theodore B. WernerAmerican congressman for South Dakota · b. 1892
T
Tom BenderAustralian basketball player · b. 1944
A. G. DaniellsAmerican Seventh-day Adventist minister · b. 1858
M
Milo Samuel BakerAmerican botanist · b. 1868
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Randalia’s post office has been open since 1874.

Gone or out of use
RandalialocaleRandalia Post Officepost office

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

Questions about Randalia’s history

What year was Randalia founded?

The Randalia post office opened in 1874, 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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via 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.