Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 61 buildings. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1870.
Albion dates its founding to 1846 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1870.
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Albion is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Albion’s 231 sits above most of its state (89% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 63 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 →
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 Albion’s history is told.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
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.
1892Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Albion.
Albion was laid out in 1846. The town was named after Albion, New York. A post office has been in operation at Albion since 1847. Albion was incorporated as a town in 1874.
The Albion Courthouse Square Historic District, Noble County Courthouse, and Noble County Sheriff's House and Jail are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Albion, cut from the printed page as they were published.
"In 1846 he was sub-contractor for the building of Albion's first court house. In 1849 he erected, on Lewis's Branch, one mile south of Albion, a sawmill, adding wool-carding machinery, which he operated until 1853. In the latter year. 1853. he founded the town of Cromwell, in Sparta township — laying out an ample plat, which
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
minority, he received a rudimentary education, and in his twenty-first year assisted his father in building a saw-mill near the town of Albion. He assisted in the manufacture of lumber until twenty-seven years of age, meantime, on the 5th day of February, 1850.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
INCORPORATION AND TOWN STATISTICS Incorporation— First called Jones plantation. Incorporated.under the name of Harlem, February 3, 1796.. Portions of Harlem, Albion' and Winslow incorporated under the name of China, June 5, 1818, remainder of Harlem annexed in 1822, June 5. Town meetings were early held in the Friend's Meeting house ou Pond Road. In common with the practice of towns in early days Harlem showed
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Burrell surveyed the township. This territory was later incorporated under the name of Harlem, and then the town was divided, the upper portion being joined with parts of Winslow and Albion (then called Lygonia) to make up the original town of China. Later on Harlem was annexed to China, thus after forty -eight years sinking its identity in the new name.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereWilliam W. Eagles is born here
Born hereE. Ross Adair is born here
Born hereEarl Butz is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Albion. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Albion.
Between 476 and 2,349 people in every census since 1870.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Albion’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Albion’s post office has been open since 1847. Another post office, Noble Court House, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
In 1846, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Albion’s post office opened in 1838, and the census of 1870 counted 476 people here.
Albion is more historic than 97% 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.
Three places: the Noble County Courthouse (listed 1981), the Noble County Sheriff's House and Jail (1982) and the Albion Courthouse Square Historic District (2013).
45% of Albion’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.4 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1949.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
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