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Minneola Reformed Presbyterian ChurchPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
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History · Minneola

Minneola dates to 1887, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1910.

1887founded
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Minneola began

When was Minneola founded?

1887

Minneola dates its founding to 1887 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 348 in 19102020 census: 738139 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1885.The full story ↓

What stands out about Minneola’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 Minneola are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18923 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1985. Watch Minneola change.Old housesHalf of Minneola’s homes were built before 1948.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Minneola’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Minneola’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
On the map

Minneola on the map, 1892 to 1985

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

Minneola on the 1892 USGS mapMinneola on the 1967 USGS mapMinneola on the 1985 USGS map1892Meade sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Minneola.

The story

How Minneola came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Minneola.

Read it all →

Minneola was founded in 1887. Its name is a combination of that of Minnie Davis and Ola Watson, the wives of pioneer settlers. A post office first established in 1885 in Appleton (an extinct town) was moved to Minneola in 1888.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Minneola, 1885 to 1956

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1885Post officeThe Appleton post office opens
  3. 1887
    FoundingMinneola is established
  4. 1888Post officeThe Appleton post office closes
  5. 1888Post officeThe Minneola post office opens
  6. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 20th century
  8. 1912Born hereLeland Shaffer is born here
  9. 1956Born hereEric F. Melgren is born here
By decade

Minneola, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Minneola Reformed Presbyterian Church2006Minneola Reformed Presbyterian ChurchKSMap-doton-Minneola2004KSMap-doton-Minneola
People over time

Minneola, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 745

Between 348 and 745 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Minneola

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

See all →
L
Leland ShafferAmerican football player · b. 1912
E
Eric F. MelgrenUnited States federal judge · b. 1956
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Minneola’s post office has been open since 1888. Another post office, Appleton, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Appleton
1885–1888
Minneola
1888–today
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Minneola’s history

What year was Minneola founded?

In 1887, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Minneola’s post office opened in 1885, and the census of 1910 counted 348 people here.

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 (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.