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History · Sumner

Sumner dates to 1882, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1979 on and the census since 1890.

1882founded
0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Sector001 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Sumner began, and where its name came from

When was Sumner founded?

1882

Sumner dates its founding to 1882 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 286 in 18902020 census: 78144 years

How did Sumner get its name?

Sumner was named in honor of U.S. Senator Charles Sumner.

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1882. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sumner’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 Sumner are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 477 in 1900; 78 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Sumner’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sumner’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sumner’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
People over time

Sumner, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 477

Peaked at 477 in 1900; 78 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Sumner came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sumner.

Read it all →

The area along the Grand River in the northwest corner of present-day Chariton County was first explored by two sons of Daniel Boone and Thomas Stanley prior to Missouri statehood in 1821. Stanley established a trading post some time later, near what would eventually become Sumner. Other than the trading post, not much existed in the area for several years, partly due to marshlands and flooding on the Grand River.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Sumner, 1882 to 1979

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882
    FoundingSumner is established
  3. 1882Post officeThe Crossland post office opens
  4. 1883Post officeThe Crossland post office closes
  5. 1883Post officeThe Sumner post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 477
  8. 1905Born hereJ. William Fulbright is born here
  9. 1979On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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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On the map

Sumner on the map in 1979

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sumner.

Sumner on the 1979 USGS map1979Sumner sheet · 1:24,000

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Sumner’s post office has been open since 1883. Another post office, Crossland, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Crossland
1882–1883
Sumner
1883–today
18801950today

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

Questions about Sumner’s history

What year was Sumner founded?

In 1882, according to Wikidata. Sumner’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1890 counted 286 people here.

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, 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) 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.