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A+History
History · Rising Sun

Rising Sun’s post office opened in 1815, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 98% of U.S. towns. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 322 buildings.

1815first post office
2on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Rising Sun began

When was Rising Sun founded?

1815

The Rising Sun post office opened in 1815, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 2,248211 years

How historic is Rising Sun?

A+

More historic than 98% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Rising Sun post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Rising Sun’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rising Sun is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rising Sun’s overall grade.
Founding era1815, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194035.3% of homes (±7.8) · typical IN town 14.4% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register2 listings, 324 historic buildings, 1,310 per 10,000 residents · typical IN town 7.9 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 98%
NewerOlder

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 Rising Sun’s 1,310 sits above most of its state (99% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 324 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.8 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 Rising Sun’s past

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

A historic districtThe Rising Sun Historic District takes in 322 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Rising Sun are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1815: 211 years of Rising Sun.Old housesHalf of Rising Sun’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

2 listings protect 324 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
324
each building in a district counts
first listed
1999
Clore Plow Works-J.W. Whitlock and Company
Clore Plow Works-J.W. Whitlock and CompanyRising Sun Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

19th Century Industrial1
Federal1
Italianate1
Classical Revival1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Clore Plow Works-J.W. Whitlock and Company19th Century Industrial
Rising Sun Historic DistrictFederal

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Rising Sun’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rising Sun’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
Timeline

Rising Sun, 1815 to 1955

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1815Post officeThe Rising Sun post office opens
  3. 1847Born hereJohn D. Works is born here
  4. 1860Born hereGeorge Eddy Downey is born here
  5. 1879Born hereThomas Victor Hall is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1955Born hereMichael Callen is born here
The story

How Rising Sun came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rising Sun.

Read it all →

The town was registered in 1816 by John James, originally of Frederick County, Maryland. At the time, it had a population of about 700. Many German immigrants settled in Rising Sun. The Rising Sun post office has been in operation since 1844.

In the 1830s, Rising Sun was a seasonal stop for hundreds of flatboats daily heading down the Ohio River.

The Clore Plow Works-J.W. Whitlock and Company and Rising Sun Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Rising Sun, decade by decade

Today6 recent
IN262 East End at IN56 - Risign Sun2018IN262 East End at IN56 - Risign SunIN262 East - Rising Sun Indiana Sign2018IN262 East - Rising Sun Indiana SignMain Street in downtown2012Main Street in downtownClore Plow Works-J.W. Whitlock and Company2012Clore Plow Works-J.W. Whitlock and CompanySun pillar - Indiana2009Sun pillar - IndianaLonnieMackRisingSun2003LonnieMackRisingSun
Famous people

4 famous people were born in Rising Sun

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
John D. WorksAmerican judge · b. 1847
M
Michael CallenAmerican writer, musician and AIDS activist · b. 1955
T
Thomas Victor HallAmerican artist · b. 1879
George Eddy DowneyAmerican judge · b. 1860
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Randolph Township4 historic placesA+

Questions about Rising Sun’s history

What year was Rising Sun founded?

The Rising Sun post office opened in 1815, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Rising Sun rank for history?

Rising Sun is more historic than 98% 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 Rising Sun?

Two places: the Clore Plow Works-J.W. Whitlock and Company (listed 1999) and the Rising Sun Historic District (2006).

How old are the homes in Rising Sun?

35% of Rising Sun’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.8 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1956.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.