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–Not graded
History · Nelson

Nelson’s post office opened in 1887, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1890.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Nelson’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Nelson began

When was Nelson founded?

1887

The Nelson post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 383 in 18902020 census: 152139 years
Founding year: the first Nelson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Nelson’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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18874 editions of the USGS map, 1887 to 1983. Watch Nelson change.Boom and bustPeaked at 639 in 1920; 152 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Nelson’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Nelson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Nelson’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewJudge William B. Napton House: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Nelson on the map, 1887 to 1983

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

Nelson on the 1887 USGS mapNelson on the 1953 USGS mapNelson on the 1979 USGS mapNelson on the 1983 USGS map1887Sedalia 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 Nelson.

People over time

Nelson, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 639

Peaked at 639 in 1920; 152 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Nelson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Nelson.

Read it all →

Nelson was platted in 1887, and named after the Nelson family, the original owners of the town site. A post office called Nelson was in operation from 1887 until 2011.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Nelson, 1887 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Nelson post office opens
  3. 1887On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 639
By decade

Nelson, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Judge William B. Napton HouseDate?Judge William B. Napton House
Today1 recent
MOMap-doton-Nelson2004MOMap-doton-Nelson
Every building

Nelson, building by building, 1916

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 sheet.

Nelson fire insurance map, 1916, sheet 11916Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

Judge William B. Napton House
Retake this viewJudge William B. Napton House

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

Retake this view · +15

Questions about Nelson’s history

What year was Nelson founded?

The Nelson post office opened in 1887, 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 Wikimedia Commons (1), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.