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History · Princeton

Princeton’s post office opened in 1846, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Leo Ellis Post #22, American Legion Building.

1846first post office
1on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Princeton began

When was Princeton founded?

1846

The Princeton post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,007180 years
Founding year: the first Princeton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Princeton’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 Princeton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1846: 180 years of Princeton.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Princeton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Princeton, 1846 to 1916

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1846Post officeThe Princeton post office opens
  3. 1852Born hereCalamity Jane is born here
  4. 1877Born hereArthur M. Hyde is born here
  5. 1894Born hereMervin Joe Kelly is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1916Born hereRuss Derry is born here
The story

How Princeton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Princeton.

Read it all →

Princeton was platted in 1846. The city was named in commemoration of the Battle of Princeton in the American Revolutionary War.

A post office has been in operation at Princeton since 1846. The town was incorporated in May 1853, but the municipal government was allowed to lapse during the Civil War until 1869.

The Herbert Cain and Corah Brantley Casteel House and Leo Ellis Post No. 22, American Legion Building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Princeton, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Farms in the Countryside, State Highway P2017Farms in the Countryside, State Highway PRocket in Levy Lowry Memorial Park2011Rocket in Levy Lowry Memorial ParkPrinceton Missouri sign2011Princeton Missouri signPrinceton-psf-hq2010Princeton-psf-hq
On the National Register

1 historic place in Princeton

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1996
Leo Ellis Post #22, American Legion Building
Leo Ellis Post #22, American Legion Building
Buildings
All 1 listings
Leo Ellis Post #22, American Legion BuildingBuilding · listed 1996

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Princeton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Calamity JaneAmerican scout and frontierswoman · b. 1852
Arthur M. HydeAmerican politician · b. 1877
Mervin Joe KellyAmerican physicist · b. 1894
R
Russ DerryAmerican baseball player · b. 1916
Minnetta Theodora TaylorAmerican author, poet, polyglot, clubwoman, and… · b. 1860
L
Laurance M. HydeAmerican judge · b. 1892

Questions about Princeton’s history

What year was Princeton founded?

The Princeton post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Princeton?

One place: the Leo Ellis Post #22, American Legion Building (listed 1996).

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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.