Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1907 on and the census since 1870.
The Brookston post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brookston is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Brookston’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.
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 first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brookston’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Brookston.
Brookston was platted in 1853, and named for James Brooks, a railroad official. In 1867, Brookston was incorporated as a town.
The Brookston post office has been in operation since the town was platted.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Brookston, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The Town Platted Brookston was named in honor of James Brooks, who was president of the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad at the time it was constructed through the county and the place laid out. It was platted by Benjamin Gonzales, Isaac Reynolds and Dr. Joel B. McFarland, on the 26th of April, 1853. Mr. Gonzales was the chief engineer of the railroad company, Mr. Reynolds the honored citizen of Monticello, and Doctor McFarland a leading physician of Lafayette; so, in a way, the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Brookston was platted in April, 1853, when the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad was put through that section of the county, and was named in honor of James Brooks, who was then president of the railwny company. It has grown steadily, which fact largely accounts for the increase in population of the township as a whole. In 1890 there were 1,885 people in Prairie Township and in 1910, 2,181.
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.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
2023Springboro Tree Farms Maple Syrup (20230213-NRCS-BJOC…
2023Springboro Tree Farms Maple Syrup (20230213-NRCS-BJOC…
2023Rich Hines tests the sugar content of the maple syrup…
2023Joe Velovitch explains the process for boiling maple …
2019Watertower 19-08-23 003
2019Track end 19-08-23 055
2019Town Hall 19-08-23 068
2019Top Notch Bar 19-08-23 036
2019Third St 19-08-23 061
2019Third St 19-08-23 043
2019S Railroad St 19-08-23 009
2019Post Office 19-08-23 070
2019Grain Elevator 19-08-23 047
2019Depot Site 19-08-23 057
2019Depot Park 19-08-23 016
2019Depot Park 19-08-23 015
2019Depot Park 19-08-23 014
2002Brookston Indiana 69The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Brookston.
1986Brookston 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 Brookston.
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 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Between 406 and 1,804 people in every census since 1870.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Brookston’s Wikipedia page.
The Brookston post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Brookston is more historic than 50% 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.
34% of Brookston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.2 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (18), 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.