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BHistory
History · Chesterfield

Chesterfield’s post office opened in 1820, and 5 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #100 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it

Most of Chesterfield was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 23 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1932 on, and the census since 1990.

1820first post office
5on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
13famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Chesterfield’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Chesterfield began

When was Chesterfield founded?

1820

The Chesterfield post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1837. Four smaller post offices, Bellefontaine (1826), Lake (1872) and Gumeo (1882), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 37,991 in 19902020 census: 49,999206 years

How historic is Chesterfield?

B

More historic than 58% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Chesterfield post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1837.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Chesterfield’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chesterfield is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #100 of 247 in Missouri. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Chesterfield’s overall grade.
Founding era1820, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19401.4% of homes (±1.0) · typical MO town 8.4% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register5 listings, 26 historic buildings, 5.2 per 10,000 residents · typical MO town 2.4 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 58%
NewerOlder
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 60%

Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Chesterfield’s 5.2 sits above most of its state (65% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 26 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1837 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Chesterfield’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Chesterfield, and 6 old place names are still on the map.A historic districtThe Burkhardt Historic District takes in 20 historic buildings.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers.Deep rootsA post office since 1820: 206 years of Chesterfield.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Chesterfield’s post office has been open since 1820. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Chesterfield
1820–today
Bellefontaine
1826–1907
Lake
1872–1905
Gumeo
1882–1907
Loehr
1897–1902
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BellefontaineBenbushGumboLakeLoehrStevens
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Chesterfield
ConwayEverwineSaint Johns United Church of Christ

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the National Register

5 listings protect 26 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
26
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Old Stone Church
Old Stone ChurchFarmers State Bank of ChesterfieldBurkhardt Historic DistrictThornhillThe Van Raalte Residence
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian2
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Old Stone ChurchBuilding
Farmers State Bank of ChesterfieldLate Victorian
Burkhardt Historic DistrictBungalow/Craftsman
All 5 listings
ThornhillDistrict · listed 1974The Van Raalte ResidenceBuilding · listed 2025

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

By decade

Chesterfield, decade by decade

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

1990s12 items
FEMA - 13385 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13385 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 13444 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13444 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 13448 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13448 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 13506 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13506 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 13507 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13507 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 13508 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13508 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 13509 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13509 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 13510 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13510 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 13511 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13511 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 13512 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 13512 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 0…FEMA - 1844 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 1844 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07…FEMA - 1851 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri1993FEMA - 1851 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07…
The story

How Chesterfield came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Chesterfield.

Read it all →

Present-day Chesterfield is known to have been a site of Native American inhabitation for thousands of years. A site in western Chesterfield containing artwork and carvings has been dated as 4,000 years old. A Mississippian site, dated to around the year 1000, containing the remains of what have been identified as a market and ceremonial center, is also located in modern Chesterfield.

The present-day city of Chesterfield is made up of several smaller historical communities, including:

ChaptersAncient historyHistorical communities1967 tornadoIncorporation as ChesterfieldFlood of 1993Scientific history

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Chesterfield, 1820 to 1998

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1820Post officeThe Chesterfield post office opens
  3. 1826Post officeThe Bellefontaine post office opens
  4. 1872Post officeThe Lake post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1905Post officeThe Lake post office closes
  7. 1907Post officeThe Bellefontaine post office closes
  8. 1932On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1982Born hereRobbie Daymond is born here
  10. 1986Born hereScott Van Slyke is born here
  11. 1993In the archiveFEMA - 13385 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 07-09-1993 in Missouri
  12. 1997Born hereLuke Kunin is born here
  13. 1998Born hereClayton Keller is born here
On the map

Chesterfield on the map, 1932 to 1994

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

Chesterfield on the 1932 USGS mapChesterfield on the 1947 USGS mapChesterfield on the 1954 USGS mapChesterfield on the 1968 USGS mapChesterfield on the 1974 USGS mapChesterfield on the 1982 USGS mapChesterfield on the 1994 USGS map1932Manchester NE 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 Chesterfield.

People over time

Chesterfield, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00020002020Peak: 49,999

Between 37,991 and 49,999 people in every census since 1990.

4 censuses, 1990–2020.

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

Famous people

13 famous people were born in Chesterfield

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

See all →
C
Clayton KellerAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1998
Luke KuninAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1997
R
Robbie DaymondAmerican voice actor · b. 1982
Scott Van SlykeMajor League Baseball outfielder in the Los Ang… · b. 1986
T
Travis TurnbullAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1986
Michael DaviesAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1986
Help out

Finish Chesterfield’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFEMA - 13385 - Photograph by Andrea Boo…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Town and Country1 historic placeDWildwood6 historic placesC−BallwinIts storyCCreve Coeur1 historic placeC+Clarkson ValleyIts storyD−Maryland HeightsIts storyDWeldon SpringIts storyC−

Questions about Chesterfield’s history

What year was Chesterfield founded?

The Chesterfield post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1837.

How does Chesterfield rank for history?

Chesterfield is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #100 of 247 in Missouri. 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 Chesterfield?

5 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Old Stone Church (listed 1973, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Burkhardt Historic District and the Thornhill, with 23 contributing buildings. 26 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Chesterfield?

1% of Chesterfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1982.

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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.