Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 19 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1961 on, and the census since 1880.
The Silver Lake post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Silver Lake’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Silver Lake.
Silver Lake was originally called Silver Lakeville, and under the latter name was platted in 1859. The community's location near Silver Lake caused the name to be selected. The post office at Silver Lake has been in operation since 1854.
The Silver Lake Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Silver Lake, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Joun F. CiyMer, who is now busying himself with the management of his farm a quarter of a mile west of Silver Lake, has had an unusual scope of experience and activity, having been a teacher, newspaper man, traveling salesman, and is a former postmaster of the Village of Silver Lake.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
schools. After their marriage 'Sir. and Mrs. Carter were farm renters for nearly twenty years, and in that way they got their start in the world. In 1901 Mr. Carter bought 164 acres in Kosciusko County adjoining the Village of Silver Lake on the east, and has used that valuable fann as a basis for his extensive dealing in livestock. He has prospered, and throughout has relied on industryand good judgment to put him ahead in the world. He is also one of the directors of the Commercial State Bank of Silver Lake and is a stockholder in the Fort
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
schools. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Carter were farm renters for nearly twenty years, and in that way they got their start in the world. In 1901 Mr. Carter bought 164 acres in Kosciusko County adjoining the Village of Silver Lake on the east, and has used that valuable farm as a basis for his extensive dealing in livestock. He has prospered, and throughout has relied on industry and good judgment to put him ahead in the world. He is also one of the directors of the Commercial State Bank of Silver Lake and is a stockholder in the Fort
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Silver Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Silver Lake.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Silver Lake’s page.
Retake this view · +15The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Between 442 and 915 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Silver Lake’s Wikipedia page.
The Silver Lake post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
One place: the Silver Lake Historic District (listed 1992).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (7), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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 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.
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