Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1880.
The Low Moor post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1858.
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 Low Moor’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Low Moor. 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 Low Moor.
From Wikipedia’s history of Low Moor.
Low Moor was platted in 1858, at the time the Chicago and North Western Railway was built. The name Low Moor was selected after someone noticed that Low Moor, England, was stamped on the iron rails.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Low Moor, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The first church services were held in what was called the Jones school house, then Camanche township but now in district 1, Eden township. In 1858 a class was organized and so this is the date for the now active Methodist Episcopal Church in Low Moor. When the railroad was opened and it was decided to have meetings in a more central point, services were held in the depot until the school house was erected in 1867 and then this was used until the church was erected in 1869.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Low Moor is an outgrowth of the Chicago & North-Western Railway, and is a station on that road. It was surveyed and platted in the spring of 1858, the original proprietors being J. Tong, Wilson Mudgett and Milo Smith. The first house was built by William Gulick ; the second, by Richard Wagner, and the third by Roswell B. Millard, who was the first station agent and Postmaster. The post ofiice was established in August, 1857, on the opening of the railroad and before the platting, but the town had been projected and its name selected. George Weston, P. J. Schuyler, Charles Seward and John M.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In earlv days Low Moor was a conspicuous station on the "underground railway," and George Weston and Richard Wagner were the "conductors" on the road and keepers of the station, which was located in the house at the corner of Third avenue and Fourth street, the second built in the town, and in 1910 occupied by James Burns and Miss May Montague. At one time the garret of this house concealed twelve negroes for one night. The next station was located in Clinton, on the site of the present Lafayette Hotel.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Mound, Low Moor, Malone, Toronto, Elvira, Burgess, Delmar and Charlotte, all having postoffices. The city of Clinton is noted for its various manufacturing establishments, and especially for its saw mills. There are also flourishing woolen and paper mills.
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.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Peaked at 347 in 1970; 250 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Low Moor’s Wikipedia page.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Low Moor post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1858.
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 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.
