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History · Albany

Albany’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold just one old photo of Albany. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1890established
1old images & papers
9recent photos
Albany Minn Oct 8 1911, 1911 · Wikimedia Commons

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Albany ( AWL-bə-nee) is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,780 at the 2020 census. It is part of the St. Cloud metropolitan area.

Albany was established in 1890. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,561 to 2,780 (+9%). Half of its homes were built before 1983.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Albany 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.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1890Established
1911Albany Minn Oct 8 1911Commons
1920–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Be one of the first

Start Albany’s collection

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

1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewAlbany Minn Oct 8 1911, 1911: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Albany

See all 5 →
William LemkeWilliam LemkePolitics & LawJRJames Steven RauschFaithMMMark MahowaldScience & MedicineESEd SchromPolitics & LawHHHenry M. HarrenPolitics & Law
By decade

Albany, decade by decade

1910s1 item
Albany Minn Oct 8 1911CommonsAlbany Minn Oct 8 19111911
1920s–
1990s
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
Today9 photos
Veteran MemorialCommonsVeteran Memorial2022Railroad Avenue, Albany, MN-04CommonsRailroad Avenue, Albany, MN-042022Railroad Avenue, Albany, MN-03CommonsRailroad Avenue, Albany, MN-032022Railroad Avenue, Albany, MN-02CommonsRailroad Avenue, Albany, MN-022022Railroad Avenue, Albany, MN-01CommonsRailroad Avenue, Albany, MN-012022Albany Minnesota city hallCommonsAlbany Minnesota city hall2020Albany Minnesota Railroad AvenueCommonsAlbany Minnesota Railroad Avenue20202010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBook2010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map for2010MNMap-doton-AlbanyCommonsMNMap-doton-Albany2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Albany is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Albany has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Anton Gogala Farmstead in Krain, 3.8 miles away.

Albany and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Albany. Tap a dot.
Anton Gogala FarmsteadChurch of the Immaculate Conception-CatholicChurch of the Sacred Heart (Catholic)St. John's Abbey and University Historic DistrictChurch of St. BonifaceSt. Benedict's Convent and College Historic District

Closest to Albany

Anton Gogala FarmsteadKrain · Built 18753.8miChurch of the Immaculate Conception-CatholicAvon · Built 19024.9miChurch of the Sacred Heart (Catholic)Freeport · Building6.4miSt. John's Abbey and University Historic DistrictCollegeville · District8.7miChurch of St. BonifaceMelrose · Building12.2mi

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. Anton Gogala Farmstead’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Albany?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Albany’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

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Albany Minn Oct 8 1911 (1911) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Albany📜 St. Anthony📜 Avon📜 Farming

From Wikimedia Commons (10). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

We left the porch light on

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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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