The story
Read it all →How Diller came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Diller.
Diller was platted in 1880 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Samuel Diller, a pioneer settler.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Diller
Diller’s post office opened in 1880, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940
Its Register listings are the Colman House, the Diller, Anna C., Opera House and the People's State Bank. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1970 on, and the census since 1890.
1880first post office
3on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Quick answers
How Diller began, and where its name came from
When was Diller founded?
1880
The Diller post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 126 in 18902020 census: 247146 years
How did Diller get its name?
Diller was named for Samuel Diller, a pioneer settler.
Founding year: the first Diller post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Diller’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Diller’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Diller’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Diller, census by census
Peaked at 506 in 1910; 247 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Diller’s Wikipedia page.
Timeline
Diller, 1880 to 1973
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1880Post officeThe Diller post office opens
- 20th century
- 1908
BuiltColman House is built - 1908Born hereLeslie Stull is born here
- 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 506
- 1912
BuiltDiller, Anna C., Opera House is built - 1924Born hereHarvey L. Vanier is born here
- 1970
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1973
In the archiveOLD MEN REST ON BENCHES FACING THE MAIN STREET OF
By decade
Diller, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
2013
2013
2005On the map
Diller on the map, 1970 to 1986
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Diller. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1970Diller sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Diller.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewOLD MEN REST ON BENCHES FACING THE MAIN STREET OF, 1973
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Diller’s page.
Retake this view · +15On the National Register
3 historic places in Diller
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Colman House
Buildings
Architectural styles listings
Eclectic1
Queen Anne1
Neo-Classical Revival1
Beaux-Arts Classicism1
Two-part Commercial Block1
Renaissance Revival1
All 3 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Famous people
See all →2 famous people were born in Diller
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Questions about Diller’s history
What year was Diller founded?
The Diller post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Diller?
Three places: the Colman House (listed 1982), the Diller, Anna C., Opera House (1988) and the People's State Bank (1984).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.