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History · Shelby

Shelby’s post office opened in 1882, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1959 on and old-book passages.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Shelby began

When was Shelby founded?

1882

The Shelby post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 453144 years
Founding year: the first Shelby post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Shelby’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 Shelby are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Shelby’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Shelby’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Shelby’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 Shelby came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Shelby.

Read it all →

Shelby was laid out and platted in 1886 by William R. Shelby, when the railroad was extended to that point.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Shelby in 1887

Passages that mention Shelby, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The next Baptist Church organized in the county was in the town of Shelby ville, the county seat of Shelby County. Amonor the few inhabitants of the town there were some Baptists. They felt the need of religious priyileges, hence Rey. S. Harding and Rev. D. Stogsdil were solicited to yisit the town…
History of Shelby County, Indiana1887 · page 381Read the page →
Read the text

The next Baptist Church organized in the county was in the town of Shelby ville, the county seat of Shelby County. Amonor the few inhabitants of the town there were some Baptists. They felt the need of religious priyileges, hence Rey. S. Harding and Rev. D. Stogsdil were solicited to yisit the town and preach to the people. On the third Saturday in October, 1S26, there was a Baptist church organized with the following persons as constituent members, (viz.:j George Titus, William Morris, James Emmit, Han-

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
United States, in the Department of Mihtary Telegraph and continued that until 1864, when he was employed by the Indianapohs and Cincinnati Railway, now " Big Four, " being stationed at London, Fairland and Shelby ville. In 1874, he was elected Circuit Clerk of Shelby County, and served one term. I…
History of Shelby County, Indiana1887 · page 539Read the page →
Read the text

United States, in the Department of Mihtary Telegraph and continued that until 1864, when he was employed by the Indianapohs and Cincinnati Railway, now " Big Four, " being stationed at London, Fairland and Shelby ville. In 1874, he was elected Circuit Clerk of Shelby County, and served one term. In 1880 and 1881,, he practiced law in Shelbyville, in partnership with Hon. J. V.

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.

By decade

Shelby, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Monon Railroad Tracks, circa 19102006Monon Railroad Tracks, circa 1910Monon Railroad Tracks, circa 19102006Monon Railroad Tracks, circa 1910Chicago Indiana & Southern Railroad Bridge2006Chicago Indiana & Southern Railroad Bridge1908 Flood, March 190820061908 Flood, March 1908Williams Dyke, March 19082006Williams Dyke, March 1908PostcardSouth Part of Shelby Flooded by the Kankakee River, March 19082006South Part of Shelby Flooded by the Kankakee River, M…PostcardShelby, Indiana, Looking North. circa 19082006Shelby, Indiana, Looking North. circa 1908PostcardShelby School, circa 19122006Shelby School, circa 1912PostcardShelby School, $10,000 Schoolhouse, May 27, 19142006Shelby School, $10,000 Schoolhouse, May 27, 1914PostcardPost Office, circa 19102006Post Office, circa 1910PostcardMonon Railroad Tracks, circa 19102006Monon Railroad Tracks, circa 1910PostcardMonon Railroad Tracks, circa 19102006Monon Railroad Tracks, circa 1910PostcardMonon Railroad Tracks, circa 19102006Monon Railroad Tracks, circa 1910PostcardMain Street, circa 19102006Main Street, circa 1910PostcardHigh water on Main Street, March 19082006High water on Main Street, March 1908PostcardHigh Water in Shelby, March 19082006High Water in Shelby, March 1908PostcardFlood Scenes in Shelby, March 19082006Flood Scenes in Shelby, March 1908PostcardBoating in Shelby, March 19082006Boating in Shelby, March 1908Postcard
On the map

Shelby on the map, 1959 to 1992

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

Shelby on the 1959 USGS mapShelby on the 1980 USGS mapShelby on the 1992 USGS map1959Shelby 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 Shelby.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Cedar Creek Township6 historic placesB+Lincoln TownshipIts storyDEagle Creek Township1 historic placeB−

Questions about Shelby’s history

What year was Shelby founded?

The Shelby post office opened in 1882, 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 (18), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.