Gas City dates to 1867, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #289 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Its Register listings are the West Ward School, the Gas City High School and the Thompson-Ray House. Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Gas City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gas City is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #289 of 593 in Indiana. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gas City’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 Gas City’s 6.6 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±8.8 points). Two sources give 1867.
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 Gas City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Gas City was first known as Harrisburg when settled on May 25, 1867, by Noah Harris. It became a boom town when natural gas was found in the area in 1887 as part of the Indiana gas boom. The Gas City Land Company was founded on March 21, 1892, and the town of about 150 people changed its name to Gas City a few days later. However, much of the natural gas was depleted by the late 1800s and early 1900s, often due to inefficient extraction.
The Gas City High School, Thompson-Ray House, and West Ward School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Passages that mention Gas City, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Centennial History of Grant County Indiana1914 · page 1133Read the page →
Read the text
Bloch Brothers. In the general mercantile field there is no ques¬ tion of the precedence held by the firm of Bloch Brothers in Gas City and Upland. The firm consists of Edward and Benjamin Bloch, who are proprietors of the Golden Eagle store in Gas City and Upland, and are the chief owners in the corporation known as Gas City Mer¬ cantile Company of Gas City, Edward Bloch being president and Benjamin Bloch a director. They took the leading part in the organi¬ zation of the latter concern, which was established in 1909, to carry
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial History of Grant County Indiana1914 · page 1017Read the page →
Read the text
completed the study of stenography, having taken some work in short hand while a student in the Valparaiso Normal School. Mr. Jay acquired a full knowledge of shorthand at an opportune time. The development of the Gas City Land Company in 1892 afforded him a position which he retained as long as the company was in existence, and he still transacts business for members of the company since the dissolution of partnership. The Gas City Land Company maintained an office in Gas City from 1892 until the Century year, and four years
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
Gas City, 1849 to 1960
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1867, according to Wikidata. Gas City’s post office opened in 1849, and the census of 1880 counted 145 people here.
How does Gas City rank for history?
Gas City is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #289 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 Gas City?
Three places: the West Ward School (listed 1985), the Gas City High School (2004) and the Thompson-Ray House (2009).
How old are the homes in Gas City?
31% of Gas City’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 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 Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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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