The story
Read it all →How Bicknell came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Bicknell.
Bicknell was laid out in 1869 by John Bicknell, and named for him. In 1907, Bicknell was incorporated as a town.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
BHistory
History · Bicknell
Bicknell’s post office opened in 1868, and 54% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns · #354 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Below: maps from 1907 on and the census since 1880.
1868first post office
0on the National Register
54%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Quick answers
How Bicknell began
When was Bicknell founded?
1868
The Bicknell post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 298 in 18802020 census: 3,029158 years
How historic is Bicknell?
B
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 55% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Bicknell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bicknell’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bicknell is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #354 of 593 in Indiana. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bicknell’s overall grade.
Founding era1868, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194054.0% of homes (±9.5) · typical IN town 14.4% · U.S. 8.4%A+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IN town 7.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 55%
NewerOlder
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 40%
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 Bicknell’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (22% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.5 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 Bicknell’s 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 Bicknell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Bicknell’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 7,635 in 1920; 3,029 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1907 to 1921, drew every building in Bicknell.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Bicknell’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bicknell’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Bicknell, census by census
Peaked at 7,635 in 1920; 3,029 people lived here in 2020.
13 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bicknell’s Wikipedia page.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Bicknell in 1911
Passages that mention Bicknell, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Indiana1911 · page 180Read the page →
Read the text
fully cultivated Jiis farm, but in 1887 he came to Bicknell, having purchased a site overlooking the town, which afterward was destined to become the center of the residence portion. Here he erected a commodious residence and later platted an addition to Bicknell, thus identifyinghimself with the upbuilding of the community. Besides a large real-estate holder in Bicknell, he owns one hundred and thirty acres of land adjoining the town, which is each year increasing in value. He was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Bicknell. serving on its board of directors, also being an organizer
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Indiana1911 · page 209Read the page →
Read the text
after returning home resumed his school studies and for one year was a student in the seminary at Perrysville, Indiana. After leaving the seminary he devoted his attentions to farming in Knox county until 1881, when he moved to Bicknell and established a meat market, which he conducted for eight years. Since 1889 he has been identified with the drug business, having been in this line more successive years than any other druggist in Bicknell. He carries a well selected stock of drugs, paints, oils, wall paper, stationery, etc., and is now at the head of one of the most completely equipped establishments of the
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
Bicknell, 1868 to 1971
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1868Post officeThe Bicknell post office opens
- 20th century
- 1904Born hereHerdis McCrary is born here
- 1918
Born hereJoseph W. Barr is born here - 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 7,635
- 1921
Born hereJohn T. McNaughton is born here - 1943
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1971
Born hereTricia Cullop is born here
By decade
Bicknell, decade by decade
Today1 recent
2016On the map
Bicknell on the map, 1943 to 1980
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bicknell. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Bicknell sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bicknell.
Every building
Bicknell, building by building, 1907–1921
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.
1907Sheet 1 of 5Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Famous people
See all →4 famous people were born in Bicknell
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Questions about Bicknell’s history
What year was Bicknell founded?
The Bicknell post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Bicknell rank for history?
Bicknell is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #354 of 593 in Indiana. 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.
How old are the homes in Bicknell?
54% of Bicknell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.5 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1938.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (1), 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.