Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1890.
The Odon post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Clark's Prairie (1858), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Odon is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Odon’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.
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 first neighbors to add old photos shape how Odon’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.
1898Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Odon.
Odon was originally called Clarksburg, and under the latter name was laid out in 1846 by John Hastings. In 1880 the name was changed to Odon. Odon was incorporated in 1885.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Odon, cut from the printed page as they were published.
teen lots; Oily Crook's, by Oily Crook, 1868, eleven lots; Garten's by Z. V. Garten, 1877, eight lots; McCoy's, by Hugh McCoy, 1875, forty-two lots. The postoffice was called Clark's Prairie until 1880, when the name of the place was changed to Odon, the postoffice name being changed at the same time. In 1885 the place was incorporated. Odon is a thriving little town, situated in the center of a splendid agricultural country, and only needs a railroad to develop it wonderfully. It has three churches, an ex-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The name of the township comprising Owl Prairie and other lands is Elmore, from a family of early settlers in that portion of the county. Peterson Prairie was named after Frank and William Peterson. William Peterson settled where the town of Odon now stands, but Frank settled on the prairie which has since borne his and his brother's name. Veal Creek was named after James C. Veal. Prairie Creek was named from the nature of country through which it flows. Smothers' Creek derived its
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Odon is situated in the center of a splendiil agricultural country and has a large trade from the surrounding farnnng community. The completion of the .Southern Indiana railrcjad, now the Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern railroad, gave an outlet for the products of the surrounding farms and made Odon a splendid shipping point, the one thing that the town had long needed. From this point is shipped grain, stock, poultry and other produce, bringing trade to the tmvn and a considerable revenue to the railroad. The population of Odon has had a steady increase in the last three
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Odon. 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 Odon.
Between 764 and 1,475 people in every census since 1890.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Odon’s Wikipedia page.
Odon’s post office has been open since 1881. Another post office, Clark's Prairie, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Odon post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Odon is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. 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.
27% of Odon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 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 (1), 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, 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.
2016