Centerville dates to 1846, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #4 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
10 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 87 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1883 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1846.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Centerville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Centerville is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #4 of 140 in Iowa. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Centerville’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 Centerville’s 184 sits above most of its state (91% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 99 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.7 points). Two sources give 1846.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Centerville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Founded in 1846 by Jonathon Stratton under the name of "Chaldea," the city was planned around a unique two-block long city square. The name was later changed to Senterville, named after William Tandy Senter, a prominent Tennessee politician. When incorporation papers were filed in 1855, someone mistook the name for a misspelling and corrected it to Centerville. Incorporation was made official on January 23, 1857.
Passages that mention Centerville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Appanoose County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prom1878 · page 437Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Centerville was first incorporated in 1855, and the manner of procedure was thus : A petition, signed by various citizens of the town was presented to Judge Harris, asking him to submit the question of incorporation to the voters of the town. The election was held February 26, 1855, the Judges being* Squire Bates, John Snell and John Potts, and the clerks, J. G.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Appanoose County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prom1878 · page 462Read the page →
Read the text
Unionville grew quite rapidly, for a frontier town, for two or three years after being laid out, and Mr. John Lankford, of Centerville, says that in 1850 the town was decided ahead of Centerville, both in business and in population. The first store started was John Miller's, in 1850, and Mr. Hunt and Dr.
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
Centerville, 1846 to 1939
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Centerville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1939Centerville sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Centerville.
Every building
Centerville, building by building, 1883–1913
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Centerville’s post office has been open since 1847. Another post office, Chaldea, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Chaldea
1846–1847
Centerville
1847–today
18401930today
Gone or out of use
Centervillelocale
1cemetery inside Centerville
Oakland
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Centerville’s history
What year was Centerville founded?
In 1846, according to Wikidata. Centerville’s post office opened in 1846, and the census of 1850 counted 1,137 people here.
How does Centerville rank for history?
Centerville is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #4 of 140 in Iowa. 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.
What is on the National Register in Centerville?
10 listings: 9 buildings, among them the Stratton House (listed 1975, the first), and 1 historic district, the Courthouse Square Historic District, with 87 contributing buildings. 99 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Centerville?
45% of Centerville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1946.
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 (1), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
