Howe’s post office opened in 1909, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are .
How Howe began
When was Howe founded?
The Howe post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name.
How historic is Howe?
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
What drives Howe’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Howe is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
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 Howe’s 36.6 sits above most of its state (71% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
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 →
3 historic places in Howe
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Questions about Howe’s history
What year was Howe founded?
The Howe post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Howe rank for history?
Howe is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Howe?
17% of Howe’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±20.1 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1978.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).