Elkhart’s post office opened in 1839, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #116 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
15 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 319 buildings between them. Below: 20 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: the first Elkhart post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Elkhart’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elkhart is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #116 of 593 in Indiana. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Elkhart’s overall grade.
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 Elkhart’s 61.8 sits above most of its state (77% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 332 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. 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 Elkhart’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
In 1829, the Village of Pulaski was established, consisting of a post office, mill, and a few houses on the north side of the St. Joseph River. Dr. Havilah Beardsley moved westward from Ohio, and on August 9, 1821, purchased one square mile of land from Pierre Moran (a half-French, half-Native American Potawatomi Chief) in order to establish a rival town named Elkhart. The town of Elkhart was first plotted with 48 lots on April 30, 1832. In 1839, the Pulaski Post Office was officially changed to Elkhart. Elkhart was incorporated as a town in 1858 and in 1875 as a city.
Passages that mention Elkhart, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Elkhart county, Indiana1881 · page 424Read the page →
Read the text
In January, 1833, the commissioners granted a tavern license to Horace Root for the town of Elkhart, for which he paid $2.50; and in May of the same year the township of Turkey Creek, south of the county of Elkhart, was organized. The order of the commissioners in this connection takes this form, viz.: " Ordered that all the territory lying south of Elkhart and attached thereto be designated and set apart and known by the name of Turkey Creek township, and that the annual election be holden at the house of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Elkhart county, Indiana1881 · page 743Read the page →
Read the text
HISTORY OF ELKHART COUNTT. 7i3 In response to the prayer of a petition presented to the commissioners, and signed by many electors of the village of Elkhart, the Board ordered an election to be held June 29, 1S58, so that the people might, in accord with the law, have an opportunity of assenting to or dissenting from the incorporation of Elkhart. The petition, nnder notice, was signed by at least one-third of the voters of the village, and since those men may be considered 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
Elkhart, 1839 to 1969
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elkhart. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1961Elkhart 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 Elkhart.
Every building
Elkhart, building by building, 1885–1927
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.
The Elkhart post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Elkhart rank for history?
Elkhart is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #116 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 Elkhart?
15 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Albert R. Beardsley House (listed 1978, the first), 4 historic districts with 319 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 332 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Elkhart?
26% of Elkhart’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1965.
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 the Library of Congress (20), the National Register of Historic Places (15), 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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