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History · Melrose

Melrose’s post office opened in 1890

Most of Melrose was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984.

1890first post office
0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Jsayre64 · Public domain
Quick answers

How Melrose began, and where its name came from

When was Melrose founded?

1890

The Melrose post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Hogan (1887), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 834136 years

How did Melrose get its name?

Melrose was named by Henry Scott for Melrose Abbey in Scotland.

More on the name

Its post office, at first named Hogan, was established on May 18, 1887, and James McKinney was the first postmaster. Named earlier on as French Settlement, Oregon.

Founding year: the first Melrose post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What stands out about Melrose’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 Melrose are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Melrose’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Melrose’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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The story so far

Melrose, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Melrose yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Melrose is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Melrose had a population of 834. It was named by Henry Scott for Melrose Abbey in Scotland. Its post office, at first named Hogan, was established on May 18, 1887, and James McKinney was the first postmaster. Named earlier on as French Settlement, Oregon.

Its first post office opened in 1890. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 735 to 834 (+13%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Melrose, 1887 to 1933

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Hogan post office opens
  3. 1890Post officeThe Hogan post office closes
  4. 1890Post officeThe Melrose post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1933Post officeThe Melrose post office closes
By decade

Melrose, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Melrose grange hall2011Melrose grange hallMelrose Cemetery - DPLA - 76fbbe0964ef945dc85946abc94c94b92010Melrose Cemetery - DPLA - 76fbbe0964ef945dc85946abc94…Melrose Cemetery - DPLA - 48a9de7e3cdfec1b46a248d2bd41aea02010Melrose Cemetery - DPLA - 48a9de7e3cdfec1b46a248d2bd4…
Famous people

Famous people close to Melrose

Nobody well known was born in Melrose itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jeff MerkleyAmerican politician · b. 1956
B
Bobby HendersonFounder of Pastafarianism · b. 1980
Jean SaubertAlpine skier · b. 1942
TJ KluneAmerican writer of queer romantic fiction and f… · b. 1982
M
Michael GarrisonElectronic musician · b. 1956
Josh BidwellPlayer of American football · b. 1976
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Melrose had its own post office from 1890 to 1933. Another post office, Hogan, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hogan
1887–1890
Melrose
1890–1933
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Melrose Post Officepost office
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Melrose
Archambeaux FamilyChampaigne FamilyLa Brie Family CemeteriesMelrose

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Melrose’s history

What year was Melrose founded?

The Melrose post office opened in 1890, 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 Wikimedia Commons (3), 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.