Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1955 on and old-book passages.
The New Trenton post office opened in 1817, 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 New Trenton’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of New Trenton.
New Trenton was laid out in 1816. The community was named after Trenton, New Jersey, the native home of a share of the first settlers. The New Trenton post office was established in 1817.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention New Trenton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Ralph Wildridge, Benjamin and William Lewis. John H. Rockafellar settled on the west side of the river opposite and alx)ve the present site of the town of Xew Trenton. Thomas Manwarring's place was directly west of New Trenton, across the river. Samuel Rockafellar located where now stands the village of New Trenton, at the northern part, where the main road turns to the left in passing up the valley, and there stood his fauT-tus old tavern, one of tiie most popular stopping places in the entire White Water valley for many years. He commenced business in a lug house, which was
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
to their new quarters on the hill and at the same time the saw-mill department was abandoned. This firm has furnished, as contractors, fine wood work for many public and private buildings, including the depots for the Big Four Railroad at Brookville, Cedar Grove and New Trenton, to take the place of the ones washed away by the floods of 1913; the school building, Methodist parsonage, the Sisters' school and many fine residences at Brookville; the fire station at Muncie, etc The John Ferris & Son's planing-mill is situated in the northeast part
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 New Trenton. 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 New Trenton.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The New Trenton post office opened in 1817, 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, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
