Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: old-book passages.
The Union post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name.
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 Union’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Union.
A post office called Union has been in operation since 1852. The village was named for the federal union of the United States.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Union, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Union Point, was born in Union County. 111., January 2, 1849, to Charles and Matilda (Hileman) Barringer, both of whom were born in this county, and are still living (see sketch of Charles Barringer). Our subject was educated in the Jonesboro schools, and when seventeen years old, he began teaching school and continued for five years in Union County, and one
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1800, during the secession excitement in Missouri, the State Convention was called, to detei'mine whether Missoui'i should secede or remain in the Union, Judge Gilbert took an active part in seciu'ing Union delegates from his district, against powerful opposition, and it was largely through the , influence of his pen and management that Union
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.
The Union post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
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 Wikimedia Commons (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.
2021