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History · Breckenridge Township

Breckenridge Township’s post office opened in 1860, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1924 on and the census since 1870.

1860first post office
0on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Breckenridge Township began

When was Breckenridge Township founded?

1860

The Breckenridge Township post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 515 in 18702020 census: 436166 years
Founding year: the first Breckenridge Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Breckenridge 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 Breckenridge Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,025 in 1910; 258 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Breckenridge Township’s homes were built before 1962.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Breckenridge Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Breckenridge Township, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,025

Peaked at 1,025 in 1910; 258 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

The story

How Breckenridge Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Breckenridge Township.

Read it all →

Breckenridge was laid out in 1856 along the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, and named for Vice President John C. Breckinridge. A post office called Breckenridge has been in operation since 1860.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Breckenridge Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
MOMap-doton-Breckenridge2004MOMap-doton-Breckenridge
On the map

Breckenridge Township on the map, 1924 to 1984

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

Breckenridge Township on the 1924 USGS mapBreckenridge Township on the 1984 USGS map1924Braymer 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 Breckenridge Township.

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Elm Grove SchoolschoolWolf Grove Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Breckenridge Township
Guffey

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.

Mooresville TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFairview TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHarrison TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGomer TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMonroe TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Breckenridge Township’s history

What year was Breckenridge Township founded?

The Breckenridge Township post office opened in 1860, 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 →
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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 (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.