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C+History
History · Hutchinson

Hutchinson dates to 1855, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 44% of U.S. towns · #121 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it

Most of Hutchinson was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Its Register listings are the Hutchinson Carnegie Library, the Merton S. Goodnow House and the Harry Merrill House. Its Register listings are the Hutchinson Carnegie Library, the Merton S. Goodnow House and the Harry Merrill House. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.

1855founded
3on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
13famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hutchinson’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hutchinson began

When was Hutchinson founded?

1855

Hutchinson dates its founding to 1855 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 580 in 18802020 census: 14,599171 years

How historic is Hutchinson?

C+

More historic than 44% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1856.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hutchinson’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hutchinson is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #121 of 273 in Minnesota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hutchinson’s overall grade.
Founding era1855, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19407.4% of homes (±2.4) · typical MN town 8.1% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register3 listings, 4 historic buildings, 2.7 per 10,000 residents · typical MN town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 44%
NewerOlder
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (273)Ahead of 56%

Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hutchinson’s 2.7 sits near the middle of its state (56% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1855.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Hutchinson’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1917, drew every building in Hutchinson.Famous sons and daughtersLindsay Whalen, John Jeremiah McRaith and 11 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hutchinson’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewHutchinson, Minnesota: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Hutchinson, building by building, 1893–1917

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Hutchinson fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Famous people

13 famous people were born in Hutchinson

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

See all →
Lindsay WhalenAmerican Hall of Fame basketball player and coa… · b. 1982
J
John Jeremiah McRaithCatholic bishop · b. 1934
John W. FossUnited States general · b. 1933
D
Debbii DawsonAmerican singer · b. 1997
G
George P. HammondLatin American scholar · b. 1896
Scott NewmanAmerican politician · b. 1947
The story

How Hutchinson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hutchinson.

Read it all →

The Hutchinson Family Singers (John, Asa, and Judson Hutchinson) are credited with founding the town in November 1855. A post office has been in operation in Hutchinson since 1856. The city was incorporated in 1904.

The Dakota under Little Crow attacked the town on September 4, 1862, during the Dakota War of that year. Several outlying buildings were burned before the townspeople were able to repel the assault from behind the town's stockade.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hutchinson, 1855 to 1997

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855
    FoundingHutchinson is established
  3. 1856Post officeThe Hutchinson post office opens
  4. 1858BuiltHarry Merrill House is built
  5. 20th century
  6. 1901In the archiveHutchinson, Minnesota
  7. 1904BuiltHutchinson Carnegie Library is built
  8. 1933Born hereJohn W. Foss is born here
  9. 1934Born hereJohn Jeremiah McRaith is born here
  10. 1941In the archiveThe Hutchinson Singers, by Elsa Jemne, 1941
  11. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 1982Born hereLindsay Whalen is born here
  13. 1997Born hereDebbii Dawson is born here
By decade

Hutchinson, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s1 item
Hutchinson, Minnesota1901Hutchinson, Minnesota
1910s–1930snothing 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
1940s1 item
The Hutchinson Singers, by Elsa Jemne, 19411941The Hutchinson Singers, by Elsa Jemne, 1941
1950s–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
Today14 recent
2012-0814-MSGoodnowHouse20122012-0814-MSGoodnowHouse2012-0814-HutchinsonTech20122012-0814-HutchinsonTech2012-0814-HutchinsonAdamQuasthouse20122012-0814-HutchinsonAdamQuasthouseHutchinson, MN 22011Hutchinson, MN 2Hutchinson, MN 12011Hutchinson, MN 1Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills, MN - panoramio (5)2010Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills, MN - panorami…Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to2010Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills toLuce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to Hutchinson, MN - panoramio (5)2010Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to Hutchinson,…Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to Hutchinson, MN - panoramio (4)2010Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to Hutchinson,…Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to Hutchinson, MN - panoramio (3)2010Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to Hutchinson,…Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to Hutchinson, MN - panoramio (2)2010Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to Hutchinson,…Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to Hutchinson, MN - panoramio (1)2010Luce Line Bike-Walk Trail, Cedar Mills to Hutchinson,…Rocket Hill Park2008Rocket Hill ParkMNMap-doton-Hutchinson2005MNMap-doton-Hutchinson
On the map

Hutchinson on the map, 1958 to 1986

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

Hutchinson on the 1958 USGS mapHutchinson on the 1986 USGS map1958Hutchinson 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 Hutchinson.

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.

Hutchinson, Minnesota
Retake this viewHutchinson, Minnesota, 1901

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Hutchinson

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1977
Hutchinson Carnegie Library
Hutchinson Carnegie Library, built 1904Merton S. Goodnow HouseHarry Merrill House, built 1858
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Neo-Classical1
Prairie Style1
Greek Revival1
Hutchinson Carnegie LibraryNeo-Classical · Built 1904
Merton S. Goodnow HousePrairie Style
Harry Merrill HouseGreek Revival · Built 1858

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

People over time

Hutchinson, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,0001880190019201940196019802000202014,599

Grew from 580 people in 1880 to 14,599 in 2020, more than tenfold.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Hutchinson’s post office has been open since 1856.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Country Club Terrace Mobile Home ParkMcDonalds Lakeview TerraceNorthview Court
1cemetery inside Hutchinson
Oakland

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.

Hassan Valley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLynn TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHutchinson Township1 historic placeBAcoma TownshipIts storyC

Questions about Hutchinson’s history

What year was Hutchinson founded?

In 1855, according to Wikidata. Hutchinson’s post office opened in 1856, and the census of 1880 counted 580 people here.

How does Hutchinson rank for history?

Hutchinson is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #121 of 273 in Minnesota. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Hutchinson?

Three places: the Hutchinson Carnegie Library (listed 1977), the Merton S. Goodnow House (1985) and the Harry Merrill House (2012).

How old are the homes in Hutchinson?

7% of Hutchinson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1984.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.