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History · Templeton

Templeton’s post office opened in 1873

Below: maps from 1962 on.

1873first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Templeton began

When was Templeton founded?

1873

The Templeton post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 75153 years
Founding year: the first Templeton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Templeton’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 Templeton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Templeton’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Templeton.

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Templeton was laid out by Col. William J. Templeton and his wife Melissa on December 23, 1873, and contained 225 lots. Two railways, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis (the "Big Four") and the Lafayette, Muncie and Bloomington (the "Nickel Plate"), intersected at the site. Its first building was a shanty occupied by John Cosgrove, and was soon followed by the dwellings of Col. Templeton and others. The town gained it first grain elevator in 1874 and a tile factory in 1881 which operated two large, steam-powered kilns. By 1883 the town's businesses included David Lanham & Co. and Finch & Son (both purveyors of dry goods and groceries), Joseph Dehart's notions and butcher shop, John Rosa's grocery, Dr. C. W. Fall (physician and pharmacist), Jasper Bristow (physician) and the Railroad House.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Templeton, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Templeton goats2007Templeton goats
On the map

Templeton on the map, 1962 to 1990

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

Templeton on the 1962 USGS mapTempleton on the 1980 USGS mapTempleton on the 1990 USGS map1962Templeton 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 Templeton.

Famous people

Famous people close to Templeton

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

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Robert KeithAmerican actor · b. 1898
Adam KennedyAmerican artist · b. 1922
B
Burton Y. BerryAmerican diplomat · b. 1901
William R. WoodAmerican politician · b. 1861
Otis JohnsonAmerican baseball player · b. 1883
N
Neal MusserAmerican baseball player · b. 1980

Questions about Templeton’s history

What year was Templeton founded?

The Templeton post office opened in 1873, 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 (1), 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.