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Toeterville IowaPhoto: Billwhittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
History · Toeterville

Toeterville’s post office opened in 1898, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1972 on.

1898first post office
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Billwhittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Toeterville began, and where its name came from

When was Toeterville founded?

1898

The Toeterville post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 53128 years

How did Toeterville get its name?

Toeterville was named for its founders, Henry and Mina Toeter.

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

What stands out about Toeterville’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 Toeterville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Toeterville’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Toeterville.

Read it all →

Toeterville was platted in 1898. It was named for its founders, Henry and Mina Toeter. Toeterville's population was 25 in 1902, and also 25 in 1925. The population was 56 in 1940.

Toeterville's post office was established on February 17, 1898, and discontinued on January 30, 1985, when it was attached to the St. Ansgar post office. Although its post office is gone, Toeterville retains its own ZIP Code, 50481.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Toeterville, 1898 to 1985

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1898Post officeThe Toeterville post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1985Post officeThe Toeterville post office closes
By decade

Toeterville, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Toeterville, Iowa by Elvis Kennedy2017Toeterville, Iowa by Elvis KennedyToeterville by Elvis Kennedy2017Toeterville by Elvis KennedyToeterville Iowa2008Toeterville Iowa
On the map

Toeterville on the map, 1972 to 1985

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

Toeterville on the 1972 USGS mapToeterville on the 1985 USGS map1972St Ansgar sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Toeterville

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

See all →
Mike JohannsAmerican politician · b. 1950
T
Tiny SandfordAmerican actor · b. 1894
Clinton ClausonAmerican politician and chiropractor · b. 1895
Henry Haven WindsorFounder and editor of Popular Mechanics magazine · b. 1859
J
James Vincent CaseyCatholic archbishop · b. 1914
R
Randy DuncanAmerican football player · b. 1937
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Toeterville had its own post office from 1898 to 1985.

Toeterville
1898–1985
18901960today
Gone or out of use
Toeterville Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Toeterville
Saint Peter

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

Questions about Toeterville’s history

What year was Toeterville founded?

The Toeterville post office opened in 1898, 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 Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.