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History · Beckemeyer

Beckemeyer dates to 1866, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1910 on and the census since 1910.

1866founded
0on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Beckemeyer began

When was Beckemeyer founded?

1866

Beckemeyer dates its founding to 1866 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 764 in 19102020 census: 923160 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1867.The full story ↓

What stands out about Beckemeyer’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 Beckemeyer are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19103 editions of the USGS map, 1910 to 1969. Watch Beckemeyer change.Old housesHalf of Beckemeyer’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Beckemeyer’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Beckemeyer’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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On the map

Beckemeyer on the map, 1910 to 1969

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

Beckemeyer on the 1910 USGS mapBeckemeyer on the 1948 USGS mapBeckemeyer on the 1969 USGS map1910Carlyle sheet · 1:62,500

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

The story

How Beckemeyer came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Beckemeyer.

Read it all →

Samuel B. Watkins was reported to be the first settler in the area, circa 1817. Beckemeyer began as a way station on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. It was organized and laid out in 1866 and originally named "Buxton" in honor of a railroad attorney.

A large coal seam underlying the village and surrounding area was mined starting in 1894, resulting in growth of Buxton. It was renamed "Beckemeyer" after an election held in 1905. The first school and bank were opened in 1906.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Beckemeyer, 1866 to 1910

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1866
    FoundingBeckemeyer is established
  3. 1867Post officeThe Buxton post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1905Post officeThe Buxton post office closes
  6. 1905Post officeThe Beckemeyer post office opens
  7. 1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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People over time

Beckemeyer, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,153

Between 764 and 1,153 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Beckemeyer

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

See all →
William F. DeanUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1899
R
Red SchoendienstAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1923
Jake OdorizziAmerican baseball player · b. 1990
J
Joseph Henry Leo SchlarmanCatholic archbishop · b. 1879
Josh TholeBaseball player, major league catcher · b. 1986
T
Trevor RichardsAmerican baseball player · b. 1993
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Beckemeyer’s post office has been open since 1905. Another post office, Buxton, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Buxton
1867–1905
Beckemeyer
1905–today
18601940today

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

Questions about Beckemeyer’s history

What year was Beckemeyer founded?

In 1866, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Beckemeyer’s post office opened in 1867, and the census of 1910 counted 764 people here.

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.