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A−History
History · Columbus

Columbus dates to 1820, and 14 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #213 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it

Most of Columbus was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. 14 places in town are on the National Register, among them 6 National Historic Landmarks and a historic district with 574 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1850.

1820founded
14on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Columbus’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Columbus began

When was Columbus founded?

1820

Columbus dates its founding to 1820 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 1,008 in 18502020 census: 50,474206 years

How historic is Columbus?

A−

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1821.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Columbus’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Columbus is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #213 of 593 in Indiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Columbus’ overall grade.
Founding era1820, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19409.3% of homes (±1.6) · typical IN town 14.4% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register14 listings, 582 historic buildings, 112 per 10,000 residents · typical IN town 7.9 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 82%
NewerOlder
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 64%

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 Columbus’ 112 sits above most of its state (82% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 582 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1820.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Columbus’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Columbus Historic District takes in 574 historic buildings.A National Historic Landmark14 places on the National Register, 6 of them National Historic Landmarks.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1886 to 1912, drew every building in Columbus.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

14 listings protect 582 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 6 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier.

places listed
14
National Historic Landmarks
6
First Baptist Church
historic buildings protected
582
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
McEwen-Samuels-Marr House
McEwen-Samuels-Marr HouseBartholomew County CourthouseColumbus City HallMcKinley SchoolHaw Creek Leather CompanyColumbus Historic DistrictEvans Lustron HouseIrwin Union Bank and Trust, Eastbrook Plaza BranchFirst Baptist Church★Irwin Union Bank and Trust★North Christian Church★First Christian Church★McDowell, Mabel, Elementary School★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Modern5
Italianate2
Second Empire2
Romanesque2
International Style1
Modern Movement1
★ Landmark
First Baptist ChurchModern
★ Landmark
Irwin Union Bank and TrustModern
★ Landmark
North Christian ChurchModern
★ Landmark
First Christian ChurchModern
★ Landmark
McDowell, Mabel, Elementary SchoolModern
★ Landmark
The RepublicModern Movement
McEwen-Samuels-Marr HouseItalianate
Bartholomew County CourthouseSecond Empire
All 14 listings
Columbus City HallBuilding · listed 1979McKinley SchoolBuilding · listed 1988Haw Creek Leather CompanyBuilding · listed 1998Columbus Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982Evans Lustron HouseBuilding · listed 2022Irwin Union Bank and Trust, Eastbrook Plaza BranchBuilding · listed 2025

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Columbus’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Columbus’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewADDITION TO IRWIN UNION BANK AND TRUST …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Columbus came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Columbus.

Read it all →

The land developed as Columbus was bought by General John Tipton and Luke Bonesteel in 1820. Tipton built a log cabin on Mount Tipton, a small hill overlooking White River and the surrounding flat, heavily forested and swampy valley. It held wetlands of the river. The town was first known as Tiptona, named in honor of Tipton. The town's name was changed to Columbus on March 20, 1821. Many people believe Tipton was upset by the name change, but no evidence exists to prove this. Nonetheless, he decided to leave the newly founded town and did not return.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Columbus in 1892

Passages that mention Columbus, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Mills general freight agent and D. H. Gard superintendent of telegraph. In January, 1877, the road was sufficiently complete to commence business, and trains from Columbus to Toledo were put on it under an arrangement with the contractors allowing the company to use the road before formal acceptanc…
History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio1892 · page 291Read the page →
Read the text

Mills general freight agent and D. H. Gard superintendent of telegraph. In January, 1877, the road was sufficiently complete to commence business, and trains from Columbus to Toledo were put on it under an arrangement with the contractors allowing the company to use the road before formal acceptance thereof; a contract having been made with the Toledo & Woodville Railroad Company for the use of its track from Walbridge to Toledo, and a like contract with the Columbus & Hocking Vallej' for terminal facilities at Columbus. The road was opened for traffic from Columbus to Marion in November, 1876 An account of an excur-

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

Columbus, 1820 to 2012

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1820
    FoundingColumbus is established
  3. 1821Post officeThe Columbus post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1973In the archiveADDITION TO IRWIN UNION BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
  7. 21st century
  8. 2000LandmarkFirst Baptist Church named a National Historic Landmark
  9. 2000LandmarkIrwin Union Bank and Trust named a National Historic Landmark
  10. 2000LandmarkNorth Christian Church named a National Historic Landmark
  11. 2001LandmarkFirst Christian Church named a National Historic Landmark
  12. 2001LandmarkMcDowell, Mabel, Elementary School named a National Historic Landmark
  13. 2012LandmarkThe Republic named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Columbus, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s2 items
ADDITION TO IRWIN UNION BANK AND TRUST COMPANY1973ADDITION TO IRWIN UNION BANK AND TRUST COMPANYFire Department1977Fire Department
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today10 recent
Robert N. Stewart Bridge2011Robert N. Stewart BridgeFire Station 42011Fire Station 4Modern architecture2011Modern architectureModern architecture2011Modern architectureModern architecture2011Modern architectureModern architecture2011Modern architectureThe Commons2011The CommonsColumbus Signature Academy, Fodrea Campus. Columbus, Indiana2011Columbus Signature Academy, Fodrea Campus. Columbus, …Columbus Signature Academy, Fodrea Campus. Columbus, Indiana2011Columbus Signature Academy, Fodrea Campus. Columbus, …Columbus Learning Center2011Columbus Learning Center
On the map

Columbus on the map, 1958 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Columbus. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Columbus on the 1958 USGS mapColumbus on the 1962 USGS mapColumbus on the 1980 USGS map1958Columbus sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Columbus.

Every building

Columbus, building by building, 1886–1912

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.

Columbus fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 31886Sheet 3 of 7
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

ADDITION TO IRWIN UNION BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
Retake this viewADDITION TO IRWIN UNION BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, 1973

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Columbus’ page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Columbus, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,000185019001950200050,474

Grew from 1,008 people in 1850 to 50,474 in 2020, more than tenfold.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Columbus’ Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Columbus’s post office has been open since 1821.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Corn BrookEast ColumbusEverroad ParkFlat Rock ParkForest ParkGarden CityNorth ColumbusParksideRiverview Acres
Gone or out of use
Atterbury Army Air Fieldmilitary
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Columbus
CarterColumbus CityGarland BrookLibertyMount PleasantThompson

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Columbus Township16 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHarrison TownshipIts storyDClay TownshipIts storyC−German Township1 historic placeC

Questions about Columbus’ history

What year was Columbus founded?

In 1820, according to Wikidata. Columbus’ post office opened in 1821, and the census of 1850 counted 1,008 people here.

How does Columbus rank for history?

Columbus is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #213 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.

What is on the National Register in Columbus?

14 listings, 6 of them National Historic Landmarks: 13 buildings, among them the First Baptist Church (a National Historic Landmark since 2000) and the McEwen-Samuels-Marr House (listed 1978, the first), and 1 historic district, the Columbus Historic District, with 574 contributing buildings. 582 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Columbus?

9% of Columbus’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1982.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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 (2), the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (14), 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, 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.