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History · Henderson

Henderson dates to 1852, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 12 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1910 on.

1852founded
3on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Henderson began

When was Henderson founded?

1852

Henderson dates its founding to 1852 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1853.

2020 census: 960174 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1853.The full story ↓

What stands out about Henderson’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.Old housesHalf of Henderson’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Henderson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Henderson’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 viewGovernor Eberhardt Dedicating the Josep…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Henderson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Henderson.

Read it all →

Henderson was founded in August 1852 by Joseph R. Brown, and was named for his mother's maiden name.

By 1855, Henderson had become a fast-growing city. It harbored more than 60 buildings, including a hotel, a warehouse, a steam sawmill, as well as Brown's house, which functioned as a boarding house, a store and the Brown family residence.

In the following years, Henderson quickly became a major distribution center for the inland settlements surrounding the Minnesota River Valley. It was the trailhead of the Henderson-Pembina road.

By the mid-1860s, Henderson had two major brickyards, The Mattei and Schwartz Brickyards, which both contributed heavily to the early 1900s brick-style buildings still found in Henderson.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Henderson, 1852 to 1932

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1852
    FoundingHenderson is established
  3. 1853Post officeThe Henderson post office opens
  4. 1858Born hereEdward T. Young is born here
  5. 1884BuiltAugust F. Poehler House is built
  6. 20th century
  7. 1910In the archiveGovernor Eberhardt Dedicating the Joseph R. Brown Memorial in
  8. 1932Born hereTerry Dempsey is born here
By decade

Henderson, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Governor Eberhardt Dedicating the Joseph R. Brown Memorial in1910Governor Eberhardt Dedicating the Joseph R. Brown Mem…
1920s–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
Today4 recent
Henderson Commercial 12007Henderson Commercial 1Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway - Church of St. Thomas Jessenland Sign2006Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway - Church of St. T…MNMap-doton-Henderson2005MNMap-doton-HendersonJoseph Brown's Monument 20012001Joseph Brown's Monument 2001
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.

Governor Eberhardt Dedicating the Joseph R. Brown Memorial in
Retake this viewGovernor Eberhardt Dedicating the Joseph R. Brown Memorial in, 1910

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 listings protect 14 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
14
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Sibley County Courthouse-1879
Sibley County Courthouse-1879August F. Poehler House, built 1884Henderson Commercial Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Italianate2
Queen Anne2
Sibley County Courthouse-1879Italianate
August F. Poehler HouseQueen Anne · Built 1884
All 3 listings
Henderson Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Henderson

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Terry DempseyAmerican politician · b. 1932
Edward T. YoungAmerican lawyer and politician · b. 1858
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Henderson’s post office has been open since 1853.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Allansons ParkSibley Estates East
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Henderson
BrownSaint Joseph

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.

Henderson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTyrone Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Henderson’s history

What year was Henderson founded?

In 1852, according to Wikidata. Henderson’s post office opened in 1853.

What is on the National Register in Henderson?

Three places: the Sibley County Courthouse-1879 (listed 1979), the August F. Poehler House (1982) and the Henderson Commercial Historic District (1988).

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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.