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History · Bretzville

Bretzville’s post office opened in 1866

Most of Bretzville was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1955 on.

1866first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Bretzville began

When was Bretzville founded?

1866

The Bretzville post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name.

160 years
Founding year: the first Bretzville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Bretzville’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 Bretzville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Bretzville’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Bretzville.

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Around the year 1850, William Bretz Sr. settled on the land. In 1866, his son, William Bretz Jr. mapped the land. The town was originally called New Town. When the townspeople wanted a post office, the government suggested the name be changed because it sounded like Newton, Indiana. The town was renamed Bretzville after its founder in June 1873. The post office was built in 1866, and was discontinued in 1915. In 1880, Bretzville's first school was started.

The Bretzville Cemetery is located southeast of Bretzville at 38°17′36″N 86°51′27″W

ChaptersBretzville Cemetery

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

Bretzville on the map, 1955 to 1990

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

Bretzville on the 1955 USGS mapBretzville on the 1969 USGS mapBretzville on the 1990 USGS map1955Saint Anthony 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 Bretzville.

Famous people

Famous people close to Bretzville

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

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Florence HendersonAmerican actress and singer · b. 1934
Mike BraunAmerican businessman and politician · b. 1954
Jay CutlerAmerican football player, quarterback · b. 1983
Don BuseAmerican basketball player · b. 1950
Brad EllsworthAmerican politician · b. 1958
Frank W. MilburnUnited States Army general · b. 1892

Questions about Bretzville’s history

What year was Bretzville founded?

The Bretzville post office opened in 1866, 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 and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.