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History · Grayridge

Grayridge’s post office opened in 1879

Most of Grayridge was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1957. Below: 3 old photos and papers and maps from 1934 on.

1879first post office
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Grayridge’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Grayridge began

When was Grayridge founded?

1879

The Grayridge post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 87147 years
Founding year: the first Grayridge post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Grayridge’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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Grayridge’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grayridge’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grayridge’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 viewGroup labor homes. Grayridge, New Madri…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Grayridge, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Grayridge yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Grayridge is a census-designated place in eastern Stoddard County, Missouri, United States. It is located approximately ten miles southwest of Sikeston, just south of U.S. Route 60. A post office called Gray's Ridge was established in 1879, the name was changed to Gray Ridge in 1887, and the present name of Grayridge was adopted in 1894. The community has the name of W. C. Gray, a pioneer citizen. Grayridge is home to Stoddard County Oilseed Crushing, which is developing biodiesel.

Its first post office opened in 1879. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 127 to 87 (-31%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Grayridge, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s3 items
Group labor homes. Grayridge, New Madrid County, Missouri1940Group labor homes. Grayridge, New Madrid County, Miss…Grayridge group labor homes. New Madrid County, Missouri1940Grayridge group labor homes. New Madrid County, Misso…Interior of group labor home at Grayridge, New Madrid County, Missouri1940Interior of group labor home at Grayridge, New Madrid…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Grayridge on the map, 1934 to 1963

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

Grayridge on the 1934 USGS mapGrayridge on the 1949 USGS mapGrayridge on the 1963 USGS map1934Bloomfield 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 Grayridge.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Group labor homes. Grayridge, New Madrid County, Missouri
Retake this viewGroup labor homes. Grayridge, New Madrid County, Missouri, 1940

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Grayridge’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Grayridge

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

See all →
Jacqueline ScottAmerican actress · b. 1931
Carl Edward BaileyArkansas politician · b. 1894
Neal E. BoydAmerican opera singer, winner of Season 3 of Am… · b. 1975
Kenny HulshofAmerican politician and lawyer · b. 1958
Andrew J. HinshawAmerican politician · b. 1923
Elizabeth Ann NalleyAmerican chemist, educator · b. 1942

Questions about Grayridge’s history

What year was Grayridge founded?

The Grayridge post office opened in 1879, 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 →
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 the Library of Congress (3) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.