Rochester’s post office opened in 1883, and 69% of its homes were built before 1940
How Rochester began, and where its name came from
When was Rochester founded?
The Rochester post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, North Rochester (1838) and Rochester Depot (1851), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
How did Rochester get its name?
The village derives its name from Rochester, New York, the native home of a land agent.
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Rochester had its own post office from 1883 to 1966. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Rochester’s history
What year was Rochester founded?
The Rochester post office opened in 1883, 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.