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History · Ames

Ames’ post office opened in 1832, and 79% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is . Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1870.

1832first post office
1on the National Register
79%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Doug Kerr from Upstate New York · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Ames began

When was Ames founded?

1832

The Ames post office opened in 1832, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 150 in 18702020 census: 138194 years
Founding year: the first Ames post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ames’ 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 Ames are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18983 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1943. Watch Ames change.Old housesHalf of Ames’ homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 224 in 1980; 138 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ames’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ames’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
On the map

Ames on the map, 1898 to 1943

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

Ames on the 1898 USGS mapAmes on the 1900 USGS mapAmes on the 1943 USGS map1898Canajoharie sheet · 1:62,500

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

The story

How Ames came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ames.

Read it all →

Unlike other communities in the region, settled by Germans, Ames was settled by pioneers from New England around 1779. The village was incorporated in 1924.

The Ames Academy Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ames, 1819 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1819Born hereAlexander Randall is born here
  3. 1842Born hereMarcy H. Randall is born here
  4. 1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 224
By decade

Ames, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Ames Academy Building May 102010Ames Academy Building May 10
On the National Register

1 historic place in Ames

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

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

People over time

Ames, census by census

010020018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 224

Peaked at 224 in 1980; 138 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Ames

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

See all →
Alexander RandallAmerican politician · b. 1819
M
Marcy H. RandallAmerican politician · b. 1842

Questions about Ames’ history

What year was Ames founded?

The Ames post office opened in 1832, 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 →
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 (1), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.