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History · Chester

Chester’s post office opened in 1886, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1968 on.

1886first post office
0on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Chester began

When was Chester founded?

1886

The Chester post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 257140 years
Founding year: the first Chester post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Chester’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 Chester are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Chester’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Chester’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Chester’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

How Chester came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Chester.

Read it all →

Chester was laid out in 1905, and named after Chester Township.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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.
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On the map

Chester on the map, 1968 to 1985

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

Chester on the 1968 USGS mapChester on the 1985 USGS map1968Wentworth sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Chester

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

See all →
C
Charles JacobsAmerican pole vaulter · b. 1886
C
Charles McCallisterAmerican water polo player · b. 1903
Edith GreenAmerican politician · b. 1910
Mary HartAmerican journalist and television personality · b. 1950
Nils BoeAmerican politician and judge · b. 1913
Eugene Luther VidalAmerican commercial aviation pioneer and Olympi… · b. 1895

Questions about Chester’s history

What year was Chester founded?

The Chester post office opened in 1886, 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 Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.