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History · Rainsville

Rainsville’s post office opened in 1836

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1961 on.

1836first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Rainsville began

When was Rainsville founded?

1836

The Rainsville post office opened in 1836, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 28190 years
Founding year: the first Rainsville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Rainsville’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1836: 190 years of Rainsville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rainsville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rainsville’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Rainsville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rainsville.

Read it all →

Rainsville was platted on April 16, 1833, by Isaac Rains, who had built a mill here the previous year; the town was named for him. A post office was established on February 5, 1836, and closed on September 15, 1904.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Rainsville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
Rainsville Indiana map from 1877 atlas1877Rainsville Indiana map from 1877 atlasMap
Today3 recent
Rainsville Community Church2009Rainsville Community ChurchIlliana Antique Power Exhibition train2007Illiana Antique Power Exhibition trainIlliana Antique Power Exhibition speaker2007Illiana Antique Power Exhibition speaker
On the map

Rainsville on the map, 1961 to 1980

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

Rainsville on the 1961 USGS mapRainsville on the 1980 USGS map1961Pine Village 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 Rainsville.

Famous people

Famous people close to Rainsville

Nobody well known was born in Rainsville itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jacob Edwin MeekerAmerican politician · b. 1878
J
Jewell YoungAmerican basketball player/coach · b. 1913
William R. WoodAmerican politician · b. 1861
B
Bernard SobelAmerican playwright, drama critic, and author · b. 1887
Mary Theodosia MugNun, penwoman, biographer, historian · b. 1860
W
William Lynn ParkinsonUnited States federal judge · b. 1902

Questions about Rainsville’s history

What year was Rainsville founded?

The Rainsville post office opened in 1836, 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 (4), Wikipedia 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.