Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Epworth School and the Zephaniah Kidder House. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1890.
The Epworth post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Hogansville (1846) and White Water (1846), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
Epworth was named from the town of Epworth, Lincolnshire, England, the birthplace of John Wesley.
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Epworth is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
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 Epworth’s 10.6 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
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 →
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 Epworth’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Epworth. 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 Epworth.
Epworth’s post office has been open since 1855. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikipedia’s history of Epworth.
Epworth was platted in 1855. It was named from the town of Epworth, Lincolnshire, England, the birthplace of John Wesley. Epworth was incorporated as a city on November 20, 1879,
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Epworth, cut from the printed page as they were published.
In 1866 he located in Dodge Township, Dubuque County, and there remained until 1904, when he retired from the active cares of life and removed to the village of Epworth. In January, 1908, he passed away, but is yet survived by his widow, who lives in Epworth. To them were born seven children, three sons and four daughters, of whom two sons and one daughter are now deceased.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
in the public schools of Newburyport, Mass., in September, 1845, and continued ins charge till the fall of 1856, when he was compelled by ill health to leave the profession ; Mr. French came West during a vacation in 1854, and erected the second house in the prospective town of Epworth, and removed hither with his family in the fall of 1856, and purchased Hiram Young’s new brick residence and land near by, and has now twenty acres ; he engaged in market-gardening and farming, and in April, 1858, succeeded R. Wilmott in the brick store where he carried on the business till May, 1863 ; he then commenced fruit-raising, and also grew many shade trees which now adorn alL
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In December, 1857, the first public school taught in the village of Epworth was opened in the hall over Dodson’s store. E. Gr. French taught, assisted by Miss M. Webster, and ninety-seven pupils received instruction. The School Director that year appears to have been B. H. Wilmott.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In the archiveSaint Paul's Mission House
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyOne decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Epworth’s page.
Retake this view · +15The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Grew from 348 people in 1890 to 2,023 in 2020, 5 times over.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Epworth’s Wikipedia page.
The Epworth post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Epworth is more historic than 47% 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.
Two places: the Epworth School (listed 2004) and the Zephaniah Kidder House (1978).
11% of Epworth’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1980.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (7), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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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