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History · Freistatt

Freistatt dates to 1873, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1921 on and the census since 1930.

1873founded
0on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Freistatt began

When was Freistatt founded?

1873

Freistatt dates its founding to 1873 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 128 in 19302020 census: 179153 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓

What stands out about Freistatt’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 Freistatt are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Freistatt’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Freistatt’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Freistatt’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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The story

How Freistatt came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Freistatt.

Read it all →

Freistatt was laid out in 1873. The community was named by German settlers after the town of Freistatt in Lower Saxony, Germany. The settlers established Trinity Lutheran Church in 1874 and opened a Lutheran school in 1875, both of which remain important institutions in the village. The Freistatt post office was in operation from 1884 until 2013. It is now a private residence.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Freistatt, 1873 to 1921

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873
    FoundingFreistatt is established
  3. 1884Post officeThe Freistatt post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1921On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Freistatt on the map, 1921 to 1971

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

Freistatt on the 1921 USGS mapFreistatt on the 1971 USGS map1921Stotts City 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 Freistatt.

People over time

Freistatt, census by census

010020019401960198020002020Peak: 184

Between 115 and 184 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Freistatt

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

See all →
George Washington CarverAfrican American botanist and inventor · b. 1864
Don S. DavisAmerican character actor · b. 1942
Julia Butterfly HillAmerican environmental activist · b. 1974
Dabbs GreerAmerican actor (1917−2007) · b. 1917
Martha GriffithsAmerican politician · b. 1912
Robert MandanAmerican actor · b. 1932

Questions about Freistatt’s history

What year was Freistatt founded?

In 1873, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Freistatt’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1930 counted 128 people here.

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 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.