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History · Magnolia

Magnolia’s post office opened in 1836, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

1836first post office
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Magnolia began

When was Magnolia founded?

1836

The Magnolia post office opened in 1836, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 256190 years
Founding year: the first Magnolia post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Magnolia’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 Magnolia are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1836: 190 years of Magnolia.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Magnolia’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Magnolia’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
Timeline

Magnolia, 1836 to 1882

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1836Post officeThe Magnolia post office opens
  3. 1864Born hereAlbert R. Taylor is born here
  4. 1868Born hereCharles E. Mills is born here
  5. 1882Born hereVictor Cicero Kays is born here
The story

How Magnolia came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Magnolia.

Read it all →

Magnolia was settled by William Haws, James W. Willis, and Stephen D. Willis in 1827, and named for the Magnolia tree. Magnolia was the first settled community in Putnam County, and the first county seat.

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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

3 famous people were born in Magnolia

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

See all →
A
Albert R. TaylorAmerican educator · b. 1864
C
Charles E. MillsAmerican businessman and banker · b. 1868
V
Victor Cicero Kays24 Jul 1882 - 20 Jan 1966 · b. 1882

Questions about Magnolia’s history

What year was Magnolia founded?

The Magnolia post office opened in 1836, 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, 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.