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History · Blakeley

Blakeley’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
5recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Blakeley was laid out in 1867. It was named for Russell Blakely, a Minnesota businessperson in transportation. A post office was established in Blakeley in 1868, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1966.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Blakeley’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Blakeley’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 Blakeley

See all 27 →
Beth RiesgrafBeth RiesgrafBelle Plaine · 6 miWMWilliam James MayoLe Sueur · 8 miJoanne BensonJoanne BensonLe Sueur · 8 miJohn McGovernJohn McGovernArlington · 10 miBHBobbie HarderLe Sueur · 8 miOllie FuhrmanOllie FuhrmanJordan · 12 mi
By decade

Blakeley, 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
Today5 photos
Welcome signCommonsWelcome sign2026Union TrailCommonsUnion Trail2026Former bank building and houseCommonsFormer bank building and house2026Elm WayCommonsElm Way2026Blakeley, MinnesotaCommonsBlakeley, Minnesota2026
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Blakeley is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Blakeley has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Church of St. Thomas in Jessenland, 2.4 miles away.

Blakeley and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Blakeley. Tap a dot.
Church of St. ThomasHenderson Commercial Historic DistrictSibley County Courthouse-1879August F. Poehler HouseEpiscopal Church of the TransfigurationHooper-Bowler-Hillstrom House

Closest to Blakeley

Church of St. ThomasJessenland · Building2.4miHenderson Commercial Historic DistrictHenderson · District4.1miSibley County Courthouse-1879Henderson · Building4.1miAugust F. Poehler HouseHenderson · Built 18844.1miEpiscopal Church of the TransfigurationBelle Plaine · Built 18695.8mi

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. Church of St. Thomas’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Blakeley?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Blakeley’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
📜 Jessenland📜 Henderson📜 Faxon📜 Tyrone

From Wikimedia Commons (5). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Blakeley, MNScott CountyView boundary

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