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History · Elnora

Elnora’s post office opened in 1855, and 49% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: old-book passages.

1855first post office
0on the National Register
49%homes built before 1940
2famous people
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Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Elnora began, and where its name came from

When was Elnora founded?

1855

The Elnora post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 631171 years

How did Elnora get its name?

Elnora was named for Elnora Griffith, wife of an early merchant.

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

What stands out about Elnora’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 Elnora are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Elnora’s homes were built before 1941.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Elnora’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Elnora.

Read it all →

Elnora was platted in 1885 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Elnora Griffith, wife of an early merchant.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Elnora in 1886

Passages that mention Elnora, cut from the printed page as they were published.

road, though a postoffice and two or three stores had been on the site of the new town for several decades of years. The name of the postoffice was Owl Prairie, but the hamlet was called Owltown. Elnora was laid out September 25, 1885, by William C. Griffith and A. R. Stalcup, with nine blocks and …
History of Knox and Daviess County, Indiana1886 · page 706Read the page →
Read the text

road, though a postoffice and two or three stores had been on the site of the new town for several decades of years. The name of the postoffice was Owl Prairie, but the hamlet was called Owltown. Elnora was laid out September 25, 1885, by William C. Griffith and A. R. Stalcup, with nine blocks and fifty-three lots. It promises to become an important point for the buying and shipping of corn and wheat, and other farm products, A number of new buildings have recently been erected at this place.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Elnora, 1855 to 1927

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855Post officeThe Elnora post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1910Born hereJ. Warren Hutchens is born here
  5. 1927Born hereBill Yeoman is born here
By decade

Elnora, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Elnora, Indiana2016Elnora, IndianaUS Navy 080609-M-6412J-509 Sailors and Marines assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and soldiers from t…2008US Navy 080609-M-6412J-509 Sailors and Marines assign…US Navy 080609-M-6412J-420 Sailors and Marines assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2-6 of the 26th Marine Expeditionary …2008US Navy 080609-M-6412J-420 Sailors and Marines assign…US Navy 080609-M-6412J-304 Sailors and Marines assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and soldiers from t…2008US Navy 080609-M-6412J-304 Sailors and Marines assign…US Navy 080609-M-6412J-273 Sailors and Marines assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and soldiers from t…2008US Navy 080609-M-6412J-273 Sailors and Marines assign…
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Elnora

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

See all →
Bill YeomanAmerican football player · b. 1927
J
J. Warren HutchensAmerican bishop · b. 1910

Questions about Elnora’s history

What year was Elnora founded?

The Elnora post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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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 Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.