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History · Prairie Creek

Prairie Creek’s post office opened in 1822, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1940 on.

1822first post office
0on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Prairie Creek began

When was Prairie Creek founded?

1822

The Prairie Creek post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name.

204 years
Founding year: the first Prairie Creek post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Prairie Creek’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 Prairie Creek are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Prairie Creek’s homes were built before 1943.Deep rootsA post office since 1822: 204 years of Prairie Creek.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Prairie Creek’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Prairie Creek’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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The story

How Prairie Creek came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Prairie Creek.

Read it all →

The town of Middletown was laid out August 24, 1831, by James D. Piety on the old Vincennes Road. Early businesses included Daniel Ryerson's hotel and drug store, Jonas P. Lykins's store, Z. J. Hunt's hotel, and Hiram Hight's steam mill in 1847. Jacob Ernest built the first brick house, in 1849.

The post office at Prairie Creek has been in operation since 1822.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Prairie Creek, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Prairie Creek, Indiana2016Prairie Creek, Indiana
On the map

Prairie Creek on the map, 1940 to 1972

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

Prairie Creek on the 1940 USGS mapPrairie Creek on the 1972 USGS map1940Pimento 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 Prairie Creek.

Questions about Prairie Creek’s history

What year was Prairie Creek founded?

The Prairie Creek post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.