Murphysboro’s post office opened in 1843, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #44 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
10 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 58 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Murphysboro post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Murphysboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Murphysboro is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #44 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Murphysboro’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Murphysboro’s 98.0 sits above most of its state (93% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 66 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% 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 (±4.9 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 Murphysboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Established in September 1843, Murphysboro is the second county seat of Jackson County. The town's creation is tied to the disastrous fire which destroyed the courthouse in the first county seat, Brownsville. The fire proved to be the catalyst to move the county seat to a more central location. The name was decided for the new town when William C. Murphy's name was drawn from a hat containing the names of the three commissioners who chose the new location, a 20-acre (81,000 m2) tract of land donated by Dr. John Logan and Elizabeth Logan.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Murphysboro. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1910Murphysboro sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Murphysboro.
Every building
Murphysboro, building by building, 1897–1914
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.
Murphysboro’s post office has been open since 1843.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Texas Junction
Gone or out of use
Murphysboro Township High Schoolschool
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Murphysboro
Murdale Gardens of MemoryMurphysboro CitySaint AndrewsTower Grove
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Murphysboro’s history
What year was Murphysboro founded?
The Murphysboro post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Murphysboro rank for history?
Murphysboro is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #44 of 768 in Illinois. 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 Murphysboro?
10 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Robert W. Hamilton House (listed 1982, the first), 1 historic district, the Murphysboro Downtown Historic District, with 58 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 66 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Murphysboro?
25% of Murphysboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 (15), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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