Locust Grove-Luttrell, R.E. Farmstead · Photo: self · CC BY 3.0Opal’s post office opened in 1888
Most of Opal was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003.
How Opal began
When was Opal founded?
The Opal post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, New Brighton (1852), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
Lost post offices and old corners
Opal had its own post office from 1888 to 1907. Another post office, New Brighton, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Opal’s history
What year was Opal founded?
The Opal post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 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.