Homecroft began in 1923 when Frank Gates and his son Oliver bought 150 acres (61 ha) and, after working with the Works Progress Administration in the early 1930s to install storm sewers to drain the swampy area, started selling lots on 80 acres (32 ha). The development's location close to the interurban line in the 1930s and 1940s, and, as the automobile became prominent, to Madison Avenue in the 1950s and 1960s, made it popular for prospective suburban homeowners.
The town was incorporated in 1949. Two additional sections of 40 acres (16 ha) and 30 acres (12 ha), respectively, were developed in the early 1950s.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
