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History · Homer

Homer’s post office opened in 1854, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1960 on.

1854first post office
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Homer began

When was Homer founded?

1854

The Homer post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name.

172 years
Founding year: the first Homer post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Homer’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Homer are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Homer’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Homer came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Homer.

Read it all →

Homer was originally called Slabtown, and under the latter name had its start around 1850 when a sawmill was established at that point.

A post office was established under the name Goddard in 1840 and was discontinued in 1852. Another post office with the name Homer ran from 1854 to 2000.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Homer, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Homer, Indiana train cars, 19822024Homer, Indiana train cars, 1982
On the map

Homer on the map, 1960 to 1988

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

Homer on the 1960 USGS mapHomer on the 1988 USGS map1960Manilla 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 Homer.

Famous people

Famous people close to Homer

Nobody well known was born in Homer itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Wilbur ShawAmerican racing driver · b. 1902
R
Roger SliferAmerican comic book writer, screenwriter, and t… · b. 1954
Margaret Hill McCarterTeacher, writer · b. 1890
Mike PhippsAmerican football player · b. 1947
W
Wilfred SmithAmerican football player · b. 1899
W
William Victor HigginsAmerican painter · b. 1884

Questions about Homer’s history

What year was Homer founded?

The Homer post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.