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–Not graded
History · Pennock

Pennock’s post office opened in 1891, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1910.

1891first post office
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Pennock began

When was Pennock founded?

1891

The Pennock post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Saint John (1871), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 189 in 19102020 census: 479135 years
Founding year: the first Pennock post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Pennock’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 Pennock are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Pennock’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Pennock.

Read it all →

Pennock was originally called Saint Johns, and under the latter name was laid out in 1871 when the railroad was extended to that point. A post office was established as Saint Johns in 1871, and the name was changed to Pennock in 1891. The present name is for George Pennock, a railroad official.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Pennock, 1871 to 1958

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Saint John post office opens
  3. 1891Post officeThe Saint John post office closes
  4. 1891Post officeThe Pennock post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Pennock, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Pennock, Minnesota, Water tower2024Pennock, Minnesota, Water towerBNSF 2285, Pennock, Minn2019BNSF 2285, Pennock, Minn
On the map

Pennock on the map, 1958 to 1986

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

Pennock on the 1958 USGS mapPennock on the 1986 USGS map1958Pennock sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pennock.

People over time

Pennock, census by census

0100200300400500192019401960198020002020Peak: 508

Between 189 and 508 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Pennock’s post office has been open since 1891. Another post office, Saint John, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Saint John
1871–1891
Pennock
1891–today
18701950today

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.

St. Johns TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMamre TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Pennock’s history

What year was Pennock founded?

The Pennock post office opened in 1891, 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 Wikimedia Commons (2), 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.