On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mapleton is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mapleton’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 Mapleton’s 10.1 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.2 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 Mapleton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Mapleton was platted in 1857 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named from its location near the Maple River.
On April 9, 2011, an EF3 tornado ripped through the western half of Mapleton. Early reports said that 50–60% of the town had been damaged or destroyed by the tornado which appeared to be 3/4ths of a mile wide. No serious injuries were reported. Businesses were damaged, and several homes were destroyed.
Passages that mention Mapleton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Monona County, Iowa1890 · page 435Read the page →
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October, 1887, further increased it in size to a seven-column quarto. A history of this paper appears elsewhere in the annals of the village of Mapleton, of which it is an important business enterprise. Mr. Wooster was married December 9, 1883, at the residence of J. W. Hall, Monroe County, Iowa, to Miss Lucy Cox, a native of Putnam County,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Monona County, Iowa1890 · page 645Read the page →
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s-ILLARD D. CROW, the present Chairman Board of County Supervisors and le leading agriculturists of Monona County, is a resident of the village of Mapleton, where he is engaged in dealing in stock and looking after his large farming interests.
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
Mapleton, 1858 to 1936
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.
The Mapleton post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Mapleton rank for history?
Mapleton is more historic than 67% 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.
What is on the National Register in Mapleton?
One place: the Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church (listed 1990).
How old are the homes in Mapleton?
33% of Mapleton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1958.
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 the Library of Congress (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
1936
1936
1936
1936