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History · Eminence

Eminence’s post office opened in 1844, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1915 on and the census since 1880.

1844first post office
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Drowzy at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Quick answers

How Eminence began

When was Eminence founded?

1844

The Eminence post office opened in 1844, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 91 in 18802020 census: 515182 years
Founding year: the first Eminence post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Eminence’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 Eminence are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1844: 182 years of Eminence.Old housesHalf of Eminence’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Eminence’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Eminence.

Read it all →

A post office called Eminence has been in operation since 1844. According to one account, Eminence was so named on account of its lofty elevation, however, this interpretation is disputed.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Eminence, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Shannon County MO courthouse2013Shannon County MO courthouseEminence tour (7)2007Eminence tour (7)
On the map

Eminence on the map, 1915 to 1965

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

Eminence on the 1915 USGS mapEminence on the 1965 USGS map1915Eminence 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 Eminence.

People over time

Eminence, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 614

Between 91 and 614 people in every census since 1880.

9 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Eminence

Nobody well known was born in Eminence itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Mel CarnahanGovernor of Missouri, 2000 U.S. senator-elect · b. 1934
R
Robert F. BalesAmerican sociologist · b. 1916
M
Mel BayAmerican musician · b. 1913
L
Loy HanningAmerican baseball player · b. 1917

Questions about Eminence’s history

What year was Eminence founded?

The Eminence post office opened in 1844, 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 (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.