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StMarysIowaChurchAerialPhoto: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · St. Marys

St. Marys’ post office opened in 1871, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

1871first post office
0on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How St. Marys began

When was St. Marys founded?

1871

The St. Marys post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 108155 years
Founding year: the first St. Marys post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
West Saint Marys

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

Questions about St. Marys’ history

What year was St. Marys founded?

The St. Marys post office opened in 1871, 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 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.