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History · St. Paul

St. Paul’s post office opened in 1874, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 42 buildings. Below: maps from 1923 on and the census since 1910.

1874first post office
3on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How St. Paul began

When was St. Paul founded?

1874

The St. Paul post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1901.

First census: 103 in 19102020 census: 434152 years
Founding year: the first St. Paul post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1901.The full story ↓

What stands out about St. Paul’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 St. Paul are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe St. Paul Historic District takes in 42 historic buildings.On the map since 19235 editions of the USGS map, 1923 to 1985. Watch St. Paul change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start St. Paul’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how St. Paul’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 National Register

3 listings protect 44 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
44
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
St. Paul Roman Catholic Church
St. Paul Roman Catholic ChurchKirk, John W., and Thomas F., HouseSt. Paul Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Gothic Revival1
Vernacular Gothic1
Western Farmhouse1
St. Paul Roman Catholic ChurchGothic Revival
Kirk, John W., and Thomas F., HouseVernacular Gothic
All 3 listings
St. Paul Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982

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

On the map

St. Paul on the map, 1923 to 1985

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

St. Paul on the 1923 USGS mapSt. Paul on the 1940 USGS mapSt. Paul on the 1956 USGS mapSt. Paul on the 1970 USGS mapSt. Paul on the 1985 USGS map1923Mount Angel 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 St. Paul.

The story

How St. Paul came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of St. Paul.

Read it all →

French Prairie settlers built a log church near this locale in 1836.

St. Paul Pioneer Cemetery, founded in 1839, is the burial location for William Cannon, the only authenticated Revolutionary War veteran buried in Oregon.

St. Paul Roman Catholic Church was built in 1846 and is the oldest brick building in the Pacific Northwest.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

St. Paul, 1874 to 1923

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1874Post officeThe Saint Paul post office opens
  3. 1895Born hereHerman Pillette is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1923On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

St. Paul, decade by decade

Today6 recent
1836logchurch20261836logchurchClover Farm St Paul OR USA IMG2022Clover Farm St Paul OR USA IMGMission Creek at St. Paul - Oregon2009Mission Creek at St. Paul - OregonDetour route for Oregon 219 around2009Detour route for Oregon 219 aroundWilliamcannontombstone2006WilliamcannontombstoneORMap-doton-St Paul2004ORMap-doton-St Paul
People over time

St. Paul, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020434

Grew from 103 people in 1910 to 434 in 2020, 4 times over.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Saint Paul

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

Questions about St. Paul’s history

What year was St. Paul founded?

The St. Paul post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1901.

What is on the National Register in St. Paul?

Three places: the St. Paul Roman Catholic Church (listed 1979), the Kirk, John W., and Thomas F., House (1987) and the St. Paul Historic District (1982).

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 (6), 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.