Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1961 on, and the census since 1940.
The Burket post office opened in 1882, 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 Burket’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Burket.
Burket (originally spelled Burkett) was surveyed and platted by Elias Burkett in the spring of 1882. The Burket post office was established in 1882.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Peaked at 260 in 1980; 123 people lived here in 2020.
9 censuses, 1940–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Burket’s Wikipedia page.
Passages that mention Burket, cut from the printed page as they were published.
After several years on his first farm above notetl llyron Van Dorn moved to where the Village of Burket now is and bought land now included in the Isaac Hire farm. That land he also cleared up. sold, and then bought fifty acres near Burket. where he bad his home luitil his death. This land was also in its virgin .state, with an abundance of prime beech, sugar, ash, oak, poplar and walnut timber. He cleared a small spot, built a log cabin, moved in and immediately began vigorously swinging the axe to clear away the rest of the woods.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
After several years on his first farm above noted Myron Van Dorn moved to where the Village of Burket now is and bought land now included in the Isaac Hire farm. That land he also cleared up, sold, and then bought fifty acres near Burket, where he had his home until his death. This land was also in its virgin state, with an abundance of prime beech, sugar, ash, oak, poplar and walnut timber. He cleared a small spot, built a log cabin, moved in and immediately began vigorously swinging the axe to clear away the rest of the woods.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
When the Town of Burket was laid out he bought two lots, on which he built a house and moved into it. At fii-st much of his time when he was not teaching was occupied in the stores at this jjlace
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
When the Town of Burket was laid out he bought two lots, on which he built a house and moved into it. At first much of his time when he was not teaching was occupied in the stores at this’ place
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 SurveyEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Burket. 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 Burket.
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 Burket’s page.
Retake this view · +15The Burket post office opened in 1882, 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, 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 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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