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History · Freeman Township

Freeman Township’s post office opened in 1899, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1954 on.

1899first post office
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Freeman Township began

When was Freeman Township founded?

1899

The Freeman Township post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Freeman (1899), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 441127 years
Founding year: the first Freeman Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Freeman 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 Freeman Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Freeman Township’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Freeman Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Freeman Township’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
The story

How Freeman Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Freeman Township.

Read it all →

Freeman Township was organized in 1861, and named for John Freeman, an early settler.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Freeman Township, 1899 to 1954

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1899Post officeThe Freeman post office opens
  3. 1899Post officeThe Freeman post office closes
  4. 20th century
  5. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
On the map

Freeman Township on the map, 1954 to 1982

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

Freeman Township on the 1954 USGS mapFreeman Township on the 1982 USGS map1954Albert Lea 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 Freeman Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Freeman Township

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

See all →
W
Wallace StegnerAmerican historian, writer, and environmentalist · b. 1909
Selmer JacksonAmerican actor · b. 1888
G
Gary G. DahlAmerican politician · b. 1940
Beanie EbertsAmerica football player · b. 1902
George C. MathewsAmerican economist · b. 1886
J
Jane BloomingdaleAmerican politician in the state of Iowa · b. 1956
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

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

4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Freeman Township
GreenLunder LutheranNorth Round PrairieRound Prairie

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.

Shell Rock TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAlbert Lea TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNunda TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGlenvilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHayward Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Freeman Township’s history

What year was Freeman Township founded?

The Freeman Township post office opened in 1899, 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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.