Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1880.
The Charlotte post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1871.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Charlotte’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Charlotte.
Charlotte was platted in 1871; a post office already been established there in 1853. The town was named for the first postmaster's wife, Charlotte Gilmore.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Charlotte, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The tornado of May 18. 1898, missed the town of Charlotte, but did a great deal of damage in the township. The greatest disaster which has happened to Charlotte was the fire of 1898. wlien the Savings Bank. Gohlmann's store. Langheim's and Manion's drug stores, and se\'eral residences were burned.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.![farm produce of this township, which was hauled by wagon on the Maquoketa stage road, CTI.\RLOTTE, In the s])ring of 1853 the postoffice of Charlotte was established, and named after the first postmaster's wife, Charlotte GiluKire. 'Ihe mail, before tile comingof the railroad, was a weekly one on t…](https://images.townratings.com/story/5358/bk-2c632d29d7a0f9ab-l.jpg)
farm produce of this township, which was hauled by wagon on the Maquoketa stage road, CTI.\RLOTTE, In the s])ring of 1853 the postoffice of Charlotte was established, and named after the first postmaster's wife, Charlotte GiluKire. 'Ihe mail, before tile comingof the railroad, was a weekly one on the route from Dc Witt to Sabula. But in seasons of floods and bad roads it was often long delayed, and on one occasion six weeks elapsed between mails on account of high
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Although the township of Waterford was settled in 1840, when William Hunter, probably the first man to file for a claim on the banks of the brawling Sugar Creek, now within the limits of Charlotte, the town itself did not get a name until 1853. Then it was formally designated Charlotte, honoring the wife of the first postmaster, Albert Gilmore.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In the spring of 1853, the present post office of Charlotte was established and named after the wife of the first Postmaster, the late Albert Gilmore. The office was then kept by Jerry Case, who was consecutively succeeded by William Hunter, A. J. Albright, R. J. McLanahan, William Hunter, re-appointed, H. A. Wickes. Patrick Murphy, A. M. Gohlmann, H. Junger, N. Harrison, and the present official, W. H. Junger. The mail, till the ariival of the railway, was nominally a weekly one on the route from De Witt to Sabula. Frequently, in the seasons of floods and bad roads, the people had to wait an
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Charlotte. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Charlotte.
Between 294 and 464 people in every census since 1880.
13 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Charlotte’s Wikipedia page.
Nobody well known was born in Charlotte itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Charlotte’s post office has been open since 1853.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Charlotte post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1871.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, 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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