Founding year: the first Tipton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Tipton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tipton is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #21 of 140 in Iowa. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Tipton’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 Tipton’s 25.8 sits above most of its state (71% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% 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 (±9.8 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 Tipton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1883Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the National Register
6 historic places in Tipton
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
Tipton was platted within Center Township in 1840 and was named for General John Tipton, a personal friend of the founder, Henry W. Higgins. The city was incorporated on January 27, 1857.
Tipton was continually bypassed by Iowa railroads, beginning with the collapse of the Lyons Iowa Central RR in 1854. The Iowa Southwestern RR, organized in 1870, planned to connect with the Chicago & North Western to the north but failed, even with the help of the Chicago Burlington & Quincy and considerable construction activity.
Passages that mention Tipton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Cedar County, Iowa1878 · page 464Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Tipton was incorporated January 27, 1857, subject t<> an act of tlie General Assembly, approved January 27, 1857. An election was held February 28, 1857, to determine wliether the voters would accept and act under the special charter as before stated. Joseph K. Snyder was appointed J udge of said election, and Geo. Baglcy , Olerk. The record does not show whether the election resulted in the adoption of the charter or not, but several dtiaaia are inclined to the opinion that it was adopted, SB town officers were elected the follnwinir April.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Cedar County, Iowa1878 · page 434Read the page →
Read the text
mding to the Korthwestem was partially completed daring the year 1859, tad uien rested in abeyance until 1867, when it was fully completed. Some tioe after this company was organized, the Muscatine ])eopIe organized a oompaaj to construct a railroad from Wilton to Tipton, which was to he known as the Muscatine Branch of the Tipton Railroad, and work was commenced thereon. At nearly the same time the Anamosa people organized a company to extend the road commenced by Tipton from the North-Wcstern Railway to Anamusa. In 1865, these three companies were consolidated nnder the name of the Muscatine,
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
Tipton, 1840 to 1971
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Tipton’s history
What year was Tipton founded?
The Tipton post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Tipton rank for history?
Tipton is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #21 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 Tipton?
6 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Floral Hall (listed 1976, the first). 8 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Tipton?
36% of Tipton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.8 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1954.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.
![mding to the Korthwestem was partially completed daring the year 1859, tad uien rested in abeyance until 1867, when it was fully completed. Some tioe after this company was organized, the Muscatine ])eopIe organized a oompaaj to construct a railroad from Wilton to Tipton, which was to he known as t…](https://images.townratings.com/story/5784/bk-f4733c28787a4718-l.jpg)
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