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History · Monroe

Monroe dates to 1847, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1962 on and the census since 1880.

1847founded

0on the National Register

26%homes built before 1940

2famous people

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Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0

Quick answers

How Monroe began, and where its name came from

When was Monroe founded?

1847

Monroe dates its founding to 1847 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 97 in 18802020 census: 885179 years

How did Monroe get its name?

Monroe was named for James Monroe, fifth President of the United States.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1872. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Monroe’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 Monroe are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsEstablished in 1847: 179 years of Monroe.Old housesHalf of Monroe’s homes were built before 1964.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Monroe’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Monroe’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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Timeline

Monroe, 1847 to 1962

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

19th century
1847
FoundingMonroe is established
1872Post officeThe Monroe post office opens
1883Born hereHarry Billiard is born here
20th century
1937Born hereJohn Johnson is born here
1962On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey

The story

How Monroe came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Monroe.

Read it all →

Monroe was platted in 1847 and incorporated in 1906. It was named for James Monroe, fifth President of the United States.

Monroe was originally the Adams County seat but this was moved to Decatur after flooding problems in the town.

The Monroe area has consistently been the American region with the highest percentage of people descended from those of Swiss nationality. Most local residents who have Swiss heritage are of Anabaptist faith, or have Swiss Mennonite and Swiss Amish backgrounds, as this area of Indiana was settled by Swiss Anabaptists in the 1800s. Local Amish still speak a Swiss German dialect, which is distinct from most other Amish, who speak a Pennsylvania German dialect.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Monroe in 1908

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

The name of Curtis has from an early period been identified with the agricultural interests of Monroe county, for the family was 'established here in 1825, when Barnabus Curtis came from Stockbridge, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, to this state, making the journey with team and wagon, while his h… — **History of Rochester and Monroe county, New York**1908 · page 844Read the page →
Read the text
The name of Curtis has from an early period been identified with the agricultural interests of Monroe county, for the family was 'established here in 1825, when Barnabus Curtis came from Stockbridge, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, to this state, making the journey with team and wagon, while his household goods were shipped by canal boat. This was during the pioneer de-
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

Monroe, decade by decade

Today1 recent

2016Monroe, Indiana

On the map

Monroe on the map, 1962 to 1988

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

1962Berne 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 Monroe.

People over time

Monroe, census by census

Grew from 97 people in 1880 to 885 in 2020, 9 times over.

13 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Monroe

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →

Harry BilliardAmerican baseball player · b. 1883

John JohnsonMember of the Ohio House of Representatives · b. 1937

Questions about Monroe’s history

What year was Monroe founded?

In 1847, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Monroe’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1880 counted 97 people here.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.

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