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History · Oakville

Oakville’s post office opened in 1876, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1960 on.

1876first post office
0on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Oakville began

When was Oakville founded?

1876

The Oakville post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name.

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

What stands out about Oakville’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 Oakville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Oakville’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Oakville.

Read it all →

Oakville, originally known as "Pleasant Hill," was laid out by John Holsinger in December 1873. The town was renamed Oakville around 1880 to avoid confusion with Pleasant Mills in Adams County. The development of Oakville was closely tied to the arrival of the Lake Erie and Western railroad in 1872. By 1880, Oakville had a store, a post office, and a growing community centered around the railway station.

Chapters1884 Tornado

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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On the map

Oakville on the map, 1960 to 1981

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

Oakville on the 1960 USGS mapOakville on the 1981 USGS map1960Sulphur Springs 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 Oakville.

Famous people

Famous people close to Oakville

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

See all →
Robert IndianaAmerican artist · b. 1928
T
Ted HaggardAmerican minister · b. 1956
Kent BensonAmerican basketball player · b. 1954
Andrea DrewsAmerican volleyball player · b. 1993
Ron BonhamAmerican basketball player · b. 1942
Z
Zachary AbelAmerican television actor · b. 1980

Questions about Oakville’s history

What year was Oakville founded?

The Oakville post office opened in 1876, 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 →
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 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.