Overland’s post office opened in 1910, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns · #129 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Its Register listing is the U.S. Army Publications Distribution Center. Its Register listing is the U.S. Army Publications Distribution Center. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1933 on, and the census since 1940.
Founding year: the first Overland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Overland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Overland is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #129 of 247 in Missouri. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Overland’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Overland’s 1.9 sits near the middle of its state (52% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Overland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area south of the King's Road to St. Charles was first settled in the early 1820s, when travelers westward from St. Louis would stop overnight at what became known as "The Overland Park". Daniel Boone constructed a single room cabin here, near the current location of Lake Sherwood and Wyland Elementary School.
In time, businesses were established and a one-room subscription school, the Buck School, was built in 1846. In 1867, the Ritenour School District was organized. In 1919, the town's name was shortened to "Overland", to avoid postal confusion with the city of Overland Park, Kansas.
Passages that mention Overland, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The overland stage to California. Personal reminiscences and authentic history of the great Overland Stage Line and Pony Express from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean1901Read the page →
Read the text
Next came the "Central Overland California," the first daily line, which was stocked with Concords, in the summer of 1861. This was succeeded by the "Overland Stage Line" in 1862.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The overland stage to California. Personal reminiscences and authentic history of the great Overland Stage Line and Pony Express from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean1901Read the page →
Read the text
The wide-awake, public spirited citizens of Denver, most of whom were well acquainted with Butterfield and his new enterprise, continued to have the greatest faith in the future of the "Overland Despatch." Even when it seemed to be "on its last legs," the Colorado territorial legislature of 1865-66 passed an act incorporating the enterprise, and, on the 30th of January, 1866, the incorporators met for organization. They mapped out their route west over the continental divide via Berthoud Pass, a por-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Overland, 1910 to 1970
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Overland post office opened in 1910, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Overland rank for history?
Overland is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #129 of 247 in Missouri. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Overland?
One place: the U.S. Army Publications Distribution Center (listed 2015).
How old are the homes in Overland?
22% of Overland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1955.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (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 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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