Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1960 on and old-book passages.
The Jerome post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jerome’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Jerome.
Jerome is named after the son of its first settler, Hampton Brown. Jerome Brown later served as a county commissioner. Jerome was once incorporated as a town, in 1877.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Jerome, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The village of Jerome, also known as Beachtown, Pleasant Hill, and Frankfort, was platted in the year 1846 by William Irwin, County Surveyor, for Henry Beach, and the Beach family was the only family residing there. It is pleasantly situated and in the early days was a thriving business town, but like other inland villages, while it is still a good business town, it has not increased greatly in population. The Beaches and the majority of the old inhabitants have passed away, but the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Kibourne and Amos Beach operated quite an extensive ashery in the village of Jerome for many years. Peter Beaver was also engaged in that business at New California, but these industries are all abandoned, although in the early days the business was quite profitable.
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Jerome. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Jerome.
Nobody well known was born in Jerome itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Jerome post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
