Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Public domain · Public domainMore historic than 96% of U.S. towns · #50 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 159 buildings. Below: maps from 1886 on and the census since 1880.
The North Manchester post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1846.
More historic than 96% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Manchester is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns, #50 of 593 in Indiana. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
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 North Manchester’s 338 sits above most of its state (92% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 163 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how North Manchester’s history is told.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1886Sheet 1 of 4Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of North Manchester.
Peter Ogan, acting as the town's founder filed for recording the 'Original Plat of Manchester' on February 13, 1846. The community was named after Manchester, in England.
The North Manchester post office has been in operation since 1838.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention North Manchester, cut from the printed page as they were published.
In the year of the arrival of the Ilarters, Peter Ogan had a portion of his land platted as the Town of North Manchester. As he put up the price of the lots to $10 apiece, the sales were at first rather slow. Joseph ITarter and his oldest son, Eli, at once commenced to take an active part in the ilevelopment of the new town. The father purchased at different times t\venty-(,'ight (puirter sections of land lying along the Eel River at and near North ^lanchester. In 1838 he l)uilt a sawnnll ami in 1839 a gristmill, the latter ])eing upon the site of the present Eisenberger
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
settled on a farm in Pleasant township in 1848. When he was finally called from the scenes of earth he had reached the venerable age of eightyfour years, and in that time had watched the growth of the village of North Manchester for many years, and had always taken his share of community responsibility. The generation following him, his son Lewis Digitized by Google
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
ruary 14, 1835, his parents being David and Elizabeth Heeter, who have been deceased for many years. At an early period in the history of Indiana, the family left their Ohio home and migrated to this state, purchasing about 100 acres of land near the town of North Manchester. Here they resided for some time, clearing and improving the property, and later Mr. Heeter retired from the active cares of business life and moved to North Manchester. In that city both he and his wife passed away, and they are now at rest in Pleasant View Cemetery.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Liberty JMills Founded At the same time that North Manchester was being born through the efforts of IMessrs. Ogan, Harter and others, the Town of Liberty Mills, two miles further up the river, was being created. The story has already reached the point where James Abbott had sold the land upon which it was afterward platted to Alex McBride upon the condition that he erect a gristmill upon the property. Mr. McBride failed to "make good," ])ut in June, 1836, there came a man for whom the township
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereFrancis Wayland Palmer is born hereBuiltLentz House (Hotel Sheller) is built
Born hereThomas R. Marshall is born hereBuiltNorth Manchester Covered Bridge is built
Born hereDaniel Garber is born hereBuiltNorth Manchester Public Library is built
Born hereDouglas Frantz is born here
2013North Manchester, IN 46962, USA - panoramio (1)
2013Chester Township, IN, USA
2013Chester Township, IN, USA - panoramio (9)
2013Chester Township, IN, USA - panoramio (8)
2013Chester Township, IN, USA - panoramio (10)
2013Chester Township, IN, USA - panoramio (1)
2012Thomas R. Marshall School in
2012Peabody Memorial Tower
20102010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBook
2005North-manchester-indiana
2004Winter Wonderland - panoramio (2)Between 1,585 and 6,383 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on North Manchester’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The North Manchester post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1846.
North Manchester is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns, #50 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.
7 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Noftzger-Adams House (listed 1979, the first), 1 historic district, the North Manchester Historic District, with 159 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 163 historic buildings in all.
33% of North Manchester’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1960.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
