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History · Eureka

Eureka’s post office opened in 1867, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1918 on.

1867first post office
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Eureka’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Eureka began

When was Eureka founded?

1867

The Eureka post office opened in 1867, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 233159 years
Founding year: the first Eureka post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Eureka’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19183 editions of the USGS map, 1918 to 1965. Watch Eureka change.Old housesHalf of Eureka’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Eureka’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewEvangelical Church: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Eureka on the map, 1918 to 1965

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

Eureka on the 1918 USGS mapEureka on the 1943 USGS mapEureka on the 1965 USGS map1918Perrinton sheet · 1:62,500

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

The story

How Eureka came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Eureka.

Read it all →

The area was first settled in 1836 by John Ferdon. The new settlement was first known as Williamsport after early settler Clark Williams. The community was soon known as Barrington for another settler J. A. Barrington. Again, the community's name was known as Swizzletown. The community received its first post office under the name Greenbush on January 29, 1844, which was named after the township. On May 9, 1867, the post office and community were renamed Eureka, which was the name given by Edward Stark using the word eureka "as a place where he had found and others would find a fine place for doing business."

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Eureka, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s1 item
Evangelical Church1920Evangelical Church
1930s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
Eureka, Michigan road signage2021Eureka, Michigan road signageEureka, Michigan post office2021Eureka, Michigan post officeEureka, Michigan (August 2021)2021Eureka, Michigan (August 2021)
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Evangelical Church
Retake this viewEvangelical Church, 1920

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Eureka’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Eureka

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

See all →
Leo BurnettAmerican advertising executive · b. 1891
Robert AsprinAmerican science fiction and fantasy author · b. 1946
Chris PatrickAmerican football player · b. 1984
James M. SwiftAmerican lawyer · b. 1873
V
Valde GarciaAmerican politician · b. 1958
E
E. J. PotterAmerican dragstrip exponent · b. 1941

Questions about Eureka’s history

What year was Eureka founded?

The Eureka post office opened in 1867, 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 Wikimedia Commons (4), 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.