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C−History
History · McCordsville

McCordsville’s post office opened in 1855

More historic than 25% of U.S. towns · #514 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it

Most of McCordsville was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2009. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1952 on, and the census since 1870.

1855first post office
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From McCordsville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How McCordsville began, and where its name came from

When was McCordsville founded?

1855

The McCordsville post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 168 in 18702020 census: 8,503171 years

How did McCordsville get its name?

McCordsville was named for one or more members of the McCord family.

How historic is McCordsville?

C−

More historic than 25% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first McCordsville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives McCordsville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, McCordsville is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #514 of 593 in Indiana. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of McCordsville’s overall grade.
Founding era1855, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19407.9% of homes (±7.3) · typical IN town 14.4% · U.S. 8.4%C+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IN town 7.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 25%
NewerOlder
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 13%

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 McCordsville’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (22% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 →

What stands out about McCordsville’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start McCordsville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewLittleton Round Barn, 500 West, 600 Nor…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How McCordsville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of McCordsville.

Read it all →

McCordsville was laid out and platted in 1865. It was named for one or more members of the McCord family. McCordsville was incorporated in 1988.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about McCordsville, 1882–1916

Passages that mention McCordsville, cut from the printed page as they were published.

In 1852 he visited Indiana, and purchased a small tract of land on the newly-constructed Bellefontaine railroad, at the site of the present town of McCordsville. In September he located there and opened a store. In 1863 he was elected Treasurer of Hancock county, which position he held for two cons…
History of Hancock County, Indiana, from its earliest settlement by the "pale face," in 1818, down to 18821882 · page 375Read the page →
Read the text

In 1852 he visited Indiana, and purchased a small tract of land on the newly-constructed Bellefontaine railroad, at the site of the present town of McCordsville. In September he located there and opened a store. In 1863 he was elected Treasurer of Hancock county, which position he held for two consecutive terms. In 1866 he moved to Greenfield, and engaged in the grocer}- business, at which he continued till 1871, when, with other gentlemen, he

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
There is running at this time, in the suburbs of Fortville, a steam flouring mill and a saw-mill. There is also a steam saw-mill in operation at McCordsville. Aaron Littleton operated a tile factory for a number of years, using the machinery formerly used by Eb. Steele in Buck-creek, in a tile fact…
History of Hancock County, Indiana, from its earliest settlement by the "pale face," in 1818, down to 18821882 · page 316Read the page →
Read the text

There is running at this time, in the suburbs of Fortville, a steam flouring mill and a saw-mill. There is also a steam saw-mill in operation at McCordsville. Aaron Littleton operated a tile factory for a number of years, using the machinery formerly used by Eb. Steele in Buck-creek, in a tile factory in that township.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
For many years previous to 191 5 McCordsville and Mt. Comfort constituted the McCordsville charge. In the spring of 1915 the McCordsville class asked the annual conference, which convened at Auburn, to make McCordsville a station, which was done and M. R. Pierce sent as pastor. The class began the …
History of Hancock County, Indiana1916 · page 793Read the page →
Read the text

For many years previous to 191 5 McCordsville and Mt. Comfort constituted the McCordsville charge. In the spring of 1915 the McCordsville class asked the annual conference, which convened at Auburn, to make McCordsville a station, which was done and M. R. Pierce sent as pastor. The class began the work for the year 19 15 with Somerville Light, district superintent; M. R. Pierce, pastor; T. E. Smith, A. J. Apple, William F.

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.

By decade

McCordsville, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Littleton Round Barn, 500 West, 600 North RoadDate?Littleton Round Barn, 500 West, 600 North Road
Today12 recent
Aerial view of U.S. Highway 36 as it leaves the dense metropolitan area of Indianapolis and heads northeastward toward …2016Aerial view of U.S. Highway 36 as it leaves the dense…Aerial view of U.S. Highway 36 as it leaves the dense metropolitan area of Indianapolis and heads toward the town of Mc…2016Aerial view of U.S. Highway 36 as it leaves the dense…Aerial view of U.S. Highway 36 as it leaves the dense metropolitan area of Indianapolis and heads toward the town of Mc…2016Aerial view of U.S. Highway 36 as it leaves the dense…Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hancock County, Indiana, that includes a bright-red round barn2016Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hanco…Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hancock County, Indiana, that includes a bright-red round barn2016Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hanco…Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hancock County, Indiana, that includes a bright-red round barn2016Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hanco…Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hancock County, Indiana, that includes a bright-red round barn2016Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hanco…Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hancock County, Indiana, that includes a bright-red round barn2016Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hanco…Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hancock County, Indiana, that includes a bright-red round barn2016Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hanco…Aerial view showing the sprawl of civilization2016Aerial view showing the sprawl of civilizationAerial view of a handsome farmstead near McCordsville in Hancock County, Indiana2016Aerial view of a handsome farmstead near McCordsville…Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hancock County, Indiana2016Aerial view of a farmstead near McCordsville in Hanco…
On the map

McCordsville on the map, 1952 to 1998

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

McCordsville on the 1952 USGS mapMcCordsville on the 1962 USGS mapMcCordsville on the 1981 USGS mapMcCordsville on the 1998 USGS map1952Mc Cordsville 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 McCordsville.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Littleton Round Barn, 500 West, 600 North Road
Retake this viewLittleton Round Barn, 500 West, 600 North Road

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on McCordsville’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

McCordsville, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,000188019001920194019601980200020208,503

Grew from 168 people in 1870 to 8,503 in 2020, more than tenfold.

6 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to McCordsville

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

See all →
Rex StoutAmerican writer · b. 1886
Angela AhrendtsAmerican businesswoman · b. 1960
Gary HarrisAmerican basketball player · b. 1994
James Whitcomb RileyAmerican poet from Indianapolis · b. 1849
Conor DalyAmerican racing driver · b. 1991
W
Walter Dorwin TeagueAmerican designer · b. 1883
Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

McCordsville’s post office has been open since 1855.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Pleasant Acres
Gone or out of use
Indianapolis Brookside Airparkairport

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Vernon Township3 historic placesBLawrence Township8 historic placesB+Indianapolis261 historic placesAFall Creek TownshipIts storyDFishers2 historic placesC

Questions about McCordsville’s history

What year was McCordsville founded?

The McCordsville post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does McCordsville rank for history?

McCordsville is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #514 of 593 in Indiana. 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 McCordsville?

8% of McCordsville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 2009.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From the Library of Congress (13), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.