The story
Read it all →How Lesterville came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Lesterville.
The town is named for Lester Dix, the grandson of an early postmaster.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Lesterville
Lesterville’s post office opened in 1877, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940
Its Register listings are the Kremer House and the Ripple House. Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1900.
1877first post office
2on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Lesterville began
When was Lesterville founded?
1877
The Lesterville post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1883.
First census: 244 in 19002020 census: 115149 years
Founding year: the first Lesterville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1883.The full story ↓
What stands out about Lesterville’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 Lesterville’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lesterville’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Lesterville on the map, 1898 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lesterville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1898Olivet sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lesterville.
People over time
Lesterville, census by census
Peaked at 281 in 1920; 115 people lived here in 2020.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lesterville’s Wikipedia page.
Timeline
Lesterville, 1877 to 1920
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1877Post officeThe Lesterville post office opens
- 1898
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 20th century
- 1919BuiltRipple House is built
- 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 281
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 National Register
2 historic places in Lesterville
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Kremer House
Buildings
Architectural styles listings
Vernacular1
Hip Cottage1
Craftsman1
Colonial Revival1
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Lesterville
Nobody well known was born in Lesterville itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
C
Crissy Ahmann-LeightonAmerican swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world … · b. 1970
Questions about Lesterville’s history
What year was Lesterville founded?
The Lesterville post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1883.
What is on the National Register in Lesterville?
Two places: the Kremer House (listed 1980) and the Ripple House (1980).
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 the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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.