The Redkey post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Half Way (1853) and Red Key (1870), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 386 in 18802020 census: 1,100156 years
How historic is Redkey?
A−
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Redkey post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Redkey’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Redkey is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Redkey’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 Redkey’s 188 sits above most of its state (87% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 25 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±13.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 →
What stands out about Redkey’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Redkey was named for James Redkey, who platted an addition to the town when the railroad was built through it in 1867. The area was originally known as the Wade Settlement, after the family of Josiah Wade, who settled there in 1836. His son William Harrison Wade platted a village there in 1854, which he called Mt. Vernon. James Redkey platted his addition in 1856, but when application was made for a government post office, the name Mt. Vernon was already taken, so the name of Redkey was chosen. Redkey was incorporated in 1883.
The Redkey Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Redkey. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1960Redkey 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 Redkey.
Every building
Redkey, building by building, 1895–1915
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.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Half Way
1853–1870
Red Key
1870–1960
18501940today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Redkey’s history
What year was Redkey founded?
The Redkey post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Redkey rank for history?
Redkey is more historic than 84% 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.
What is on the National Register in Redkey?
One place: the Redkey Historic District (listed 1992).
How old are the homes in Redkey?
41% of Redkey’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±13.3 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1952.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
