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Lanesville, IndianaPhoto: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
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History · Lanesville

Lanesville dates to 1817, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1912 on and the census since 1870.

1817founded
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Lanesville began

When was Lanesville founded?

1817

Lanesville dates its founding to 1817 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 157 in 18702020 census: 935209 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓

What stands out about Lanesville’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 Lanesville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19124 editions of the USGS map, 1912 to 1982. Watch Lanesville change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1817: 209 years of Lanesville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lanesville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lanesville’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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On the map

Lanesville on the map, 1912 to 1982

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

Lanesville on the 1912 USGS mapLanesville on the 1951 USGS mapLanesville on the 1960 USGS mapLanesville on the 1982 USGS map1912Kosmosdale sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lanesville.

The story

How Lanesville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lanesville.

Read it all →

The first permanent settlement was made at Lanesville about 1800. Lanesville was platted in 1817, and named for one Mr. Lane, the government official who surveyed the town site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Lanesville, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Lanesville, Indiana2016Lanesville, Indiana
People over time

Lanesville, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200188019001920194019601980200020201,098

Grew from 157 people in 1870 to 1,098 in 2020, 6 times over.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lanesville’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Lanesville’s history

What year was Lanesville founded?

In 1817, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1870 counted 157 people here.

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, 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.