Hopkins was laid out in 1870. The community has the name of A.L. Hopkins of the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad. The railroad later became the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy and finally the Burlington Northern before tracks were removed in 1983. A post office called Hopkins has been in operation since 1871.
The Hopkins Tornado of 1881 is believed to have been one of the first recorded F5 tornadoes.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1894Sheet 1 of 1
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Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Hopkins in 1882
Passages that mention Hopkins, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Nodaway county, Missouri, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., biographical sketches of its citizens1882 · page 175Read the page →
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Jefferson Sturgeon settled about two miles south of where Hopkins now stands. West of Hopkins, two or three miles, was the Cox settlement, beginning as early as 1850. Judge Morehouse, at an early date, settled about five miles southwest of where Hopkins is now located, and Joseph Hall opened a farm in the same neighborhood. Homer Aldridge and Augustus Aldridge located in the same neighborhood.
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The history of Nodaway county, Missouri, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., biographical sketches of its citizens1882 · page 586Read the page →
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Mr. Austin came to Hopkins in February, 1872, and soon was holding the position of steward of the Hopkins House. In March, 1873, he became engaged with the railroad company as check clerk, which position he is still filling. On the 29th of September, 1881, he purchased the stock and fixtures of his present restaurant and boarding house, and is now doing a flourishing business. He is a member of Xenia Lodge, No.
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Hopkins, 1867 to 1940
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (1), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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