Fossum Township’s post office opened in 1882, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940
How Fossum Township began, and where its name came from
When was Fossum Township founded?
The Fossum Township post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Fossum (1882), Faith (1883) and Qual (1901), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
How did Fossum Township get its name?
Fossum Township was organized in 1881, and named after Fossum, in Norway.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Fossum Township’s history
What year was Fossum Township founded?
The Fossum Township post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 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.