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History · Archer

Archer’s post office opened in 1887, and 83% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1899 on.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
83%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Archer began

When was Archer founded?

1887

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

2020 census: 68139 years
Founding year: the first Archer post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Archer’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 Archer are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18993 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1985. Watch Archer change.Old housesHalf of Archer’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Archer’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Archer on the map, 1899 to 1985

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

Archer on the 1899 USGS mapArcher on the 1962 USGS mapArcher on the 1985 USGS map1899St Paul 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 Archer.

The story

How Archer came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Archer.

Read it all →

The community is named for Robert T. Archer. A post office was established at Archer in 1887, and it is still in use.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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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Questions about Archer’s history

What year was Archer founded?

The Archer 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 →
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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 and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.