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History · Middle Grove

Middle Grove dates to 1830, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1890 on.

1830founded
0on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Middle Grove began

When was Middle Grove founded?

1830

Middle Grove dates its founding to 1830 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1835.

2020 census: 57196 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1835.The full story ↓

What stands out about Middle Grove’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 Middle Grove are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18903 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1985. Watch Middle Grove change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1830: 196 years of Middle Grove.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Middle Grove’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Middle Grove’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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On the map

Middle Grove on the map, 1890 to 1985

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

Middle Grove on the 1890 USGS mapMiddle Grove on the 1952 USGS mapMiddle Grove on the 1985 USGS map1890Moberly sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Middle Grove.

Timeline

Middle Grove, 1830 to 1907

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1830
    FoundingMiddle Grove is established
  3. 1835Post officeThe Middlegrove post office opens
  4. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1907Post officeThe Middlegrove post office closes
The story

How Middle Grove came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Middle Grove.

Read it all →

The community was settled in 1830 and founded by John C. Milligan and Jacob Whittenburg. The community was named due to its location in the center of a rural district. A post office called Middle Grove was established in 1835, the name was changed to "Middlegrove" in 1894, and the post office closed in 1907.

In 1942, heavy rains hit the community, forcing residents onto rooftops to await help.

In 1979, Melvin Lute was stabbed and shot in his Middle Grove trailer home. His wife Shirley and son Roy were charged with the murder.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Middle Grove

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

See all →
Tyronn LueAmerican basketball player and coach · b. 1977
B
Brent BriscoeAmerican actor and screenwriter · b. 1961
J
John BaileyAmerican cinematographer and film director · b. 1942
George W. P. HuntAmerican politician · b. 1859
B
Brad HuntAmerican actor · b. 1964
H
Henderson ForsytheAmerican actor · b. 1917
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Another post office, Middlegrove, opened and closed inside today’s town.

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

Questions about Middle Grove’s history

What year was Middle Grove founded?

In 1830, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Middle Grove’s post office opened in 1835.

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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.