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History · Martin

Martin dates to 1920

Most of Martin was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975.

1920founded
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Martin began

When was Martin founded?

1920

Martin dates its founding to 1920 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1926.

2020 census: 513106 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1926.The full story ↓

What stands out about Martin’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 Martin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Martin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Martin’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
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0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Martin came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Martin.

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Martin developed as a coal mining community in the early 1900s. Its first post office, established in 1910, was named "Bucks Branch" after a tributary of Beaver Creek, the stream that runs through the city. In 1913, the community was renamed "Smalley" after a local landowner, Smalley Crisp. By 1915, however, the community had been renamed "Martin" after the postmaster, Martin Van Allen. The post office began officially using this name in 1926.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Martin, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Martin-Post-Office-ky2018Martin-Post-Office-kyMartin-Main-Street-ky2018Martin-Main-Street-kyMartin-Community-Center-ky2018Martin-Community-Center-kyMartin-City-Hall-ky2018Martin-City-Hall-kyMartin-Beaver-Creek-ky2018Martin-Beaver-Creek-kyThe Piarist School2013The Piarist School

Questions about Martin’s history

What year was Martin founded?

In 1920, according to Wikidata. Martin’s post office opened in 1926.

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