The story
Read it all →How Bonneau came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Bonneau.
The community was named after the family of Floride Bonneau Calhoun, wife of U.S. politician John C. Calhoun.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Bonneau
Bonneau’s post office opened in 1892
Most of Bonneau was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1940.
1892first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Quick answers
How Bonneau began
When was Bonneau founded?
1892
The Bonneau post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Bonneaus Depot (1866), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 493 in 19402020 census: 431134 years
Founding year: the first Bonneau post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Bonneau’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 Bonneau’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bonneau’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
Bonneau, 1866 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your albumOn the map
Bonneau on the map, 1943 to 1990
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bonneau. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Bonneau sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bonneau.
People over time
Bonneau, census by census
Between 354 and 493 people in every census since 1940.
9 censuses, 1940–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bonneau’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices
Bonneau’s post office has been open since 1892. Another post office, Bonneaus Depot, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Bonneaus Depot
Bonneau
18601940today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Bonneau’s history
What year was Bonneau founded?
The Bonneau post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
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 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.