More historic than 35% of U.S. towns · #452 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Most of Pittsboro was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2004. Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pittsboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pittsboro is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns, #452 of 593 in Indiana. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pittsboro’s overall grade.
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 Pittsboro’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 B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1834.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Pittsboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town of Pittsboro was founded on December 9, 1834, by Simon T. Hadley and Wiliam L. Matlock. The town was named "Pittsborough" in honor of Hadley's home in North Carolina. The spelling was later changed to "Pittsboro".
On April 6, 1906, an election was held for incorporation of the town. The result of the election was 83 favorable and 38 opposed. After incorporation came many infrastructure improvements and new services. Sidewalks were laid, street lights installed, and water service begun.
In 2008 Pittsboro had a parade for Olympic silver medalist Bridget Sloan. It led to the high school in neighboring Lizton, where she thanked her fans for supporting her. Hundreds of people had lined Main Street with signs and banners.
Passages that mention Pittsboro, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Hendricks County, Indiana1885 · page 697Read the page →
Read the text
The first clearing in the township was made in 1830 by Lemuel McBee, in the western part of the town of Pittsboro. Within three years from the date of Mr. McBee’s settlement, the following wellknown citizens settled in the central and southern portions of the township: Ed. Poynter, Elijah Thompson, Adam Spicklemire, Stephen Hale, Samuel Hill, James Wells, Jonas Lipe, John and Jacob Holt6claw, Aaron Spicklemire, Benjamin Davis and Hezekiah Demick. In no part of Hendricks County did the pioneers
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.
In 1834, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Pittsboro’s post office opened in 1849, and the census of 1860 counted 148 people here.
How does Pittsboro rank for history?
Pittsboro is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns, #452 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 Pittsboro?
3% of Pittsboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 2004.
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 (6), 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.
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