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History · Mahaska

Mahaska’s post office opened in 1887, and 84% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Site No. JF00-072 and the Mahaska Rural High School #3. Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1910.

1887first post office
2on the National Register
84%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Mahaska began

When was Mahaska founded?

1887

The Mahaska post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 246 in 19102020 census: 46139 years
Founding year: the first Mahaska post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Mahaska’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 Mahaska are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Mahaska’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mahaska’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Mahaska.

Read it all →

Mahaska was founded in 1887 by L. Bonham. It was likely named for Chief Mahaska.

The first post office in Mahaska was established in December 1887.

In 1854, the Sixth Principal Meridian or 40th Parallel, approximately 1 mile northwest of the present day Mahaska. Originally marked in 1856, this site was the beginning point for land surveys for all land in Kansas, Nebraska, three-fourths of Colorado, most of Wyoming, and part of South Dakota. The original marker was rediscovered in 1976, then a new monument was dedicated in 1987.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Mahaska, 1885 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1885Born hereHerbert B. Hungerford is born here
  3. 1887Post officeThe Mahaska post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1928Born hereCharles D. McAtee is born here
  6. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Mahaska, decade by decade

Today1 recent
KSMap-doton-Mahaska2005KSMap-doton-Mahaska
On the map

Mahaska on the map, 1966 to 1985

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

Mahaska on the 1966 USGS mapMahaska on the 1985 USGS map1966Mahaska 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 Mahaska.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Mahaska

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1987
Site No. JF00-072
Mahaska Rural High School #3
BuildingsSites
Site No. JF00-072Site
Mahaska Rural High School #3Building

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Mahaska, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 246

Between 46 and 246 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Mahaska

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

See all →
H
Herbert B. HungerfordAmerican entomologist · b. 1885
C
Charles D. McAteeAmerican FBI agent · b. 1928

Questions about Mahaska’s history

What year was Mahaska founded?

The Mahaska post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Mahaska?

Two places: the Site No. JF00-072 (listed 1987) and the Mahaska Rural High School #3 (2007).

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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.