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History · Brussels

Brussels dates to 1822, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Brussels was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1954. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 80 buildings. Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1890.

1822founded
1on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Brussels began

When was Brussels founded?

1822

Brussels dates its founding to 1822 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 228 in 18902020 census: 116204 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1875.The full story ↓

What stands out about Brussels’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Brussels are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Brussels Historic District takes in 80 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 283 in 1910; 116 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Brussels’ homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Brussels’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brussels’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

1 listing protects 80 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
80
each building in a district counts
first listed
1998
Brussels Historic District
Brussels Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian1
Mid-19th Century1
Brussels Historic DistrictLate Victorian

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Brussels, census by census

01002003001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 283

Peaked at 283 in 1910; 116 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Brussels’ Wikipedia page.

The story

How Brussels came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Brussels.

Read it all →

Brussels was first settled in 1822, when John Mettz came to the area; later in the same year, Joshua Twitchell established the community's first business, a blacksmith shop. In 1843, Brussels' population grew significantly due to an influx of German immigrants. German immigration continued through the 1860s, and Irish immigrants also began settling in Brussels in the 1850s. The Wittmond Trading Post, one of the first brick stores in the region, opened in Brussels in 1847, marking the beginning of the village's commercial development. St. Mary's Church formed in 1848 to serve the community's Catholic residents; its current church building was constructed in 1863. In the early 1860s, St. Matthew's Church formed for Brussels' German Lutheran population. Brussels opened its own post office in 1875 and built its own jail in 1876. In 1888, Brussels was legally incorporated as a village.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Brussels, 1822 to 1954

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1822
    FoundingBrussels is established
  3. 1875Post officeThe Brussels post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 283
  6. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Brussels, decade by decade

Today1 recent
St Mary's Church2014St Mary's Church
On the map

Brussels on the map, 1954 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Brussels. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Brussels on the 1954 USGS mapBrussels on the 1968 USGS mapBrussels on the 1990 USGS map1954Brussels sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Brussels.

Questions about Brussels’ history

What year was Brussels founded?

In 1822, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Brussels’ post office opened in 1875, and the census of 1890 counted 228 people here.

What is on the National Register in Brussels?

One place: the Brussels Historic District (listed 1998).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.