Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #73 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 120 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1880.
The Bremen post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1851.
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bremen is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #73 of 593 in Indiana. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings 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 Bremen’s 261 sits above most of its state (90% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 121 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1886Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions 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.
From Wikipedia’s history of Bremen.
Bremen was platted and laid out in 1851. A large portion of the early settlers being natives of Germany caused the name Bremen to be selected.
The Bremen Water Tower and Dietrich-Bowen House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Bremen, cut from the printed page as they were published.
"When the town of Bremen was incorporated, in 1828, he was elected first town-clerk. At a town-meeting, May 4th, 1850, a movement was made for building a town house, to be used for the public meetings of the citizens; and a committee appointed to determine the proper location, and secure a proper site. This committee subsequently reported that the whole distance from the southern boundary of the town to the line of Waldoboro is 7 miles, less
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The town of Bremen was first called Neiv Bremen, the name being given by George Pomeroy and Joseph Guiselman, who thought the name appropriate, as it was of German origin and a large portion of the early settlers were a German-speaking people. But it was not long until the "New" was omitted, and it soon became known as "Bremen" in "German" township, which indicated the nationality of the people. The first settlement in Bremen was made about 1836, and between that date and 1848 settlement was made by several families, among whom were Hardzog, Heim, Weis,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
noted pine tree in its northern boundary, though this is not mentioned in the deed. In fact, except at the nortli, it corresponded very nearly' with the territory of the present town of Bremen. In 1660, Aug. 8th, Brown conveyed by deed of gift to his Bon-in-law, Alexander Gould and wife, the 8 mile equare tract," which became celebrated in later times. It is described as "a certain tract or parcel of land, lying in Broad Bay, be-
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.
One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2020Bremen Methodist 20-08-12 054
2020Breman 20-08-12 047
2020Untitled photo
2020Untitled photo
2016Town board members of Bremen, Indiana, with mayor of …
2013Dietrich-Bowen House
2012Bremen, Indiana
2005Youth-soccer-indiana
2005Marshall-county-indiana-yellow-river
2005Indiana-rural-road
2005Bremen-indiana-pizza-hutEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bremen. 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 Bremen.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Bremen’s page.
Retake this view · +15Between 1,028 and 4,725 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bremen’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bremen’s history is told.
The Bremen post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1851.
Bremen is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #73 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.
5 listings: 1 building, among them the Dietrich-Bowen House (listed 1978, the first), 2 historic districts, the Bremen Commercial Historic District and the Bremen Residential Historic District, with 120 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 121 historic buildings in all.
29% of Bremen’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.8 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 (16), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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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