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History · Lester

Lester’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Lester. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Lester is a city in Lyon County, Iowa, United States. The population was 296 at the time of the 2020 census.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 294 people in 2010, 296 in 2020. Half of its homes were built before 1974.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lester yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Lester’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Lester

See all 31 →
Ernest LawrenceErnest LawrenceCanton · 16 miRobert A. DahlRobert A. DahlInwood · 10 miMDMamie Van DorenRowena · 13 miShantel VanSantenShantel VanSantenLuverne · 13 miTim JohnsonTim JohnsonCanton · 16 miJMJames Francis MacbrideRock Valley · 17 mi
By decade

Lester, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today2 photos
Lester Iowa Main StreetCommonsLester Iowa Main Street2014IAMap-doton-LesterCommonsIAMap-doton-Lester2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Lester is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Lester has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is First Methodist Church in Rock Rapids, 8 miles away.

Lester and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Lester. Tap a dot.
First Methodist ChurchLyon County CourthouseBurlington, Cedar Rapids, and Northern Railroad-Rock Rapids Station, Railroad Track and BridgeJacob Nuffer FarmsteadMelan BridgeKlondike Bridge

Closest to Lester

First Methodist ChurchRock Rapids · Building8miLyon County CourthouseRock Rapids · Building8.2miBurlington, Cedar Rapids, and Northern Railroad-Rock Rapids Station, Railroad Track and BridgeRock Rapids · District8.3miJacob Nuffer FarmsteadMartin · Building8.3miMelan BridgeRock Rapids · Structure8.9mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. First Methodist Church’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Lester?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Lester’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Larchwood📜 Steen📜 Hills📜 Alvord

From Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The door’s open

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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