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History · Holland

Holland’s post office opened in 1856, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1961 on and the census since 1880.

1856first post office
0on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Holland began, and where its name came from

When was Holland founded?

1856

The Holland post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1859.

First census: 199 in 18802020 census: 619170 years

How did Holland get its name?

Holland was named for Holland (The Netherlands).

Founding year: the first Holland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1859. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Holland’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 Holland are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Holland’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Holland’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Holland’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
The story

How Holland came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Holland.

Read it all →

Holland was platted in 1859 by Henry Kunz, a native of Germany. It was named for Holland (The Netherlands).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Holland, 1856 to 1961

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1856Post officeThe Holland post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1937Born hereBumper Tormohlen is born here
  5. 1961On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Holland, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Holland, Indiana2016Holland, Indiana
On the map

Holland on the map, 1961 to 1980

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

Holland on the 1961 USGS mapHolland on the 1980 USGS map1961Holland 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 Holland.

People over time

Holland, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 695

Between 199 and 695 people in every census since 1880.

11 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Questions about Holland’s history

What year was Holland founded?

The Holland post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1859.

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 (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.