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History · Glenham

Glenham dates to 1900, and 55% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1967 on, and the census since 1910.

1900founded
0on the National Register
55%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Glenham’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Glenham began

When was Glenham founded?

1900

Glenham dates its founding to 1900 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 182 in 19102020 census: 112126 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1895.

What stands out about Glenham’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Glenham’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Glenham’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Glenham’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGlenham, South Dakota: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Glenham, in brief

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

Glenham is a town in Walworth County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 112 at the 2020 census. Glenham was laid out in 1900, and named for a glen near the town site.

Glenham was established in 1900. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 105 to 112 (+7%).

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

Timeline

Glenham, 1895 to 1967

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1895Post officeThe Brisco post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1900
    FoundingGlenham is established
  5. 1901Post officeThe Brisco post office closes
  6. 1901Post officeThe Glenham post office opens
  7. 1942In the archiveGlenham, South Dakota
  8. 1967On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Glenham, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s1 item
Glenham, South Dakota1942Glenham, South Dakota
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Glenham on the map, 1967 to 1985

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

Glenham on the 1967 USGS mapGlenham on the 1985 USGS map1967Glenham 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 Glenham.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Glenham, South Dakota
Retake this viewGlenham, South Dakota, 1942

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Glenham’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Glenham, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 187

Between 105 and 187 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Glenham

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

See all →
S
Steven BieglerAmerican prelate · b. 1959
George S. MickelsonAmerican politician · b. 1941
George T. MickelsonUnited States federal judge and Governor of Sou… · b. 1903
M
Michel MulloyUS minister and Roman Catholic bishop of Duluth · b. 1953
Duane PutnamAmerican football player and coach · b. 1928
James R. CarriganAmerican jurist · b. 1929
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Glenham’s post office has been open since 1901. Another post office, Brisco, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Brisco
1895–1901
Glenham
1901–today
18901960today

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

Questions about Glenham’s history

What year was Glenham founded?

In 1900, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Glenham’s post office opened in 1895, and the census of 1910 counted 182 people here.

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 the Library of Congress (1), 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.