The Aplington post office opened in 1865, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Algonquin (1856), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 427 in 18902020 census: 1,116161 years
How historic is Aplington?
C+
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Aplington post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Aplington’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Aplington is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Aplington’s overall grade.
Iowa towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Iowa town has 9.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Aplington’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (17% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Aplington’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In the summer of 1857, the village of Aplington was laid out and platted by the proprietors, Thomas Nash, R. R. Parriott, Zenas Aplington and Theodore A. Wilson on Sec. 29 (of Monroe Township). At the time one house stood on the tract of land, which had been erected and occupied by Charles Savage, a New Englander, a settler of short duration. The town was named by its promoters in honor of one of their number, Zenas Aplington, a resident of Illinois, who never lived here. He owned part of the land, however, and took a lively interest in the town's welfare until his death, which occurred while serving his country in the American Civil War.
Passages that mention Aplington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Butler County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement1914 · page 341Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Aplington is situated wholly within the limits of the township and a portion of Parkersburg also. These two towns are the central trading points, tirade extending well beyond the limits of the township in every direction. The Hawkeye Higliway. wliich lias been mentioned previovisly, connects Parkersburg and Aplington, furnishing a satisfactory route for automobiles and other wheeled vehicles.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Butler County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement1914 · page 348Read the page →
Read the text
The first building erected in Aplington was built by Zenas Aplington in 1856. He also furnished a stock of general merchandise. Till' building stood on the south side of Parriott street, and the first Aplington merchant, George W. Hunter, sold goods over the counters here al)out one year for Mr. Aplington. He A\as su(-ceeded by Chester 8tilson, who ran the store eighteen months; then it closed its doors. However, in 18G-1, Isaac Hall opened a general store in this building. He sold his stock to C.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Aplington, 1856 to 1980
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Aplington’s post office has been open since 1865. Another post office, Algonquin, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Algonquin
1856–1865
Aplington
1865–today
18501940today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Aplington’s history
What year was Aplington founded?
The Aplington post office opened in 1865, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Aplington rank for history?
Aplington is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Aplington?
24% of Aplington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.0 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1963.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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