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History · Arlington Township

Arlington Township dates to 1856, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1890.

1856founded
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Arlington Township began

When was Arlington Township founded?

1856

Arlington Township dates its founding to 1856 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 417 in 18902020 census: 475170 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1876.The full story ↓

What stands out about Arlington Township’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 Arlington Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Arlington Township’s homes were built before 1950.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Arlington Township’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Arlington Township.

Read it all →

The community was platted in 1856, and the name was officially approved on May 11, 1858, the same day Minnesota became a state. German settlers came to the area to homestead beginning in the 1860s and 1870s. The population of Arlington continues to be of predominately German descent. In 1948, the community was incorporated as a city.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Arlington Township, 1856 to 1958

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1856
    FoundingArlington Township is established
  3. 1876Post officeThe New Rome post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1902Post officeThe New Rome post office closes
  6. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Arlington Township, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Lido Theater Marquee, Arlington, Minnesota2004Lido Theater Marquee, Arlington, MinnesotaHwy Sign, Arlington, Minnesota2004Hwy Sign, Arlington, MinnesotaHardware store, Arlington, Minnesota2004Hardware store, Arlington, MinnesotaFirst State Bank, Arlington, Minnesota2004First State Bank, Arlington, MinnesotaBar, Veterinary Clinic and Police Dept. - Arlington, Minnesota2004Bar, Veterinary Clinic and Police Dept. - Arlington, …Arlington House Pub & Eatery, Arlington, Minnesota2004Arlington House Pub & Eatery, Arlington, Minnesota
On the map

Arlington Township on the map, 1958 to 1982

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

Arlington Township on the 1958 USGS mapArlington Township on the 1982 USGS map1958Gaylord 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 Arlington Township.

People over time

Arlington Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,50019001920194019601980200020202,247

Grew from 417 people in 1890 to 2,247 in 2020, 5 times over.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, New Rome, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
New Rome
Gone or out of use
New Rome Post Officepost office
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Arlington Township
EbenezerSaint MarysWeckworth

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Jessenland Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDryden TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKelso TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGreen Isle TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Arlington Township’s history

What year was Arlington Township founded?

In 1856, according to Wikidata. Arlington Township’s post office opened in 1876, and the census of 1890 counted 417 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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, 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.