Stanhope, Iowa was the last town in the county to be platted. Railroad depots were called for approximately every seven to eight miles apart. So, because of its approximate distance from Jewell Junction and Stratford, the small town was platted on October of 1882, and given the name "Stanhope". It is thought that this named came from an official of the Chicago Northwestern Railway. Another common belief was that perhaps it came from Lady Hester Stanhope, the character in Whittier's poem "Snow Bound

In 1958, the school districts of Ellsworth, Randal, Stanhope, and Jewell were combined into the present South Hamilton School District in Jewell, Iowa. The last graduating class in the Stanhope Community School was in 1962. Ultimately, the brick school building and gymnasium was torn down and the Park View Apartments were constructed on the old school grounds.

In the late spring of 1983 Stanhope celebrated it Centennial. A 3-day celebration was held starting on June 17th and carrying over until June 19th. Families gathered together from all across the nation to celebrate their hometown heritage. A parade kicked off the celebration with many activities for people, young and old, to participate in together. Many people dressed up in late nineteenth century apparel, wearing the clothes their ancestors had worn when Stanhope was settled a hundred years in the past. The entire celebration was a big success as all of the community had united together to celebrate the first hundred years of Stanhope, Iowa.