Melstone’s post office opened in 1908, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940
How Melstone began, and where its name came from
When was Melstone founded?
The Melstone post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name.
How did Melstone get its name?
Melstone was named for Melvin Stone, a journalist for the Chicago Tribune.
He happened to be on a train where the person sitting next to him, the railroad president, asked his name and impulsively decided to name the community after him.
Places now gone
Melstone’s post office has been open since 1908.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Melstone’s history
What year was Melstone founded?
The Melstone post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 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.