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History · Alexandria

Alexandria’s post office opened in 1840, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1964 on, and the census since 1860.

1840first post office
0on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Alexandria’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Alexandria began

When was Alexandria founded?

1840

The Alexandria post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1948.

First census: 952 in 18602020 census: 105186 years
Founding year: the first Alexandria post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1948.The full story ↓

What stands out about Alexandria’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 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1840: 186 years of Alexandria.Old housesHalf of Alexandria’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Alexandria’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Alexandria’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 viewFEMA - 13430 - Photograph by Andrea Boo…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Alexandria, 1840 to 1993

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1840Post officeThe Alexandria post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1906Born hereMaynard C. Krueger is born here
  5. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1993In the archiveFEMA - 13430 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri
The story

How Alexandria came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Alexandria.

Read it all →

Alexandria was founded in the 1830s. The community was named after John Alexander, the proprietor of a nearby ferry. A post office called Alexandria has been in operation since 1840.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Alexandria, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s4 items
FEMA - 13430 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13430 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 13446 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13446 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 1962 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 1962 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07…Flooding 1993 fema 35621993Flooding 1993 fema 3562
Today6 recent
Sun Dog over Mississippi River2020Sun Dog over Mississippi RiverAlexandria post office 634302015Alexandria post office 63430Alexandria VFD from northeast2015Alexandria VFD from northeastAlexandria Presbyterian Church from north2015Alexandria Presbyterian Church from northAlexandria Baptist Church from northeast2015Alexandria Baptist Church from northeastMOMap-doton-Alexandria2004MOMap-doton-Alexandria
On the map

Alexandria on the map, 1964 to 1975

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

Alexandria on the 1964 USGS mapAlexandria on the 1975 USGS map1964Warsaw 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 Alexandria.

People over time

Alexandria, census by census

02004006008001,000190019502000Peak: 952

Between 105 and 952 people in every census since 1860.

12 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Questions about Alexandria’s history

What year was Alexandria founded?

The Alexandria post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1948.

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 (10), 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) 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.