The West Terre Haute post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Macsville (1840), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 651 in 19002020 census: 2,157127 years
How historic is West Terre Haute?
B+
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first West Terre Haute post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives West Terre Haute’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Terre Haute is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Terre Haute’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 West Terre Haute’s 4.8 sits near the middle of its state (53% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.5 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 West Terre Haute’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally called McQuilkinsville, then simply Macksville or Maxville, West Terre Haute was laid out by Samuel McQuilkin on November 22, 1836. The first building had been put up in 1833, and in 1834 McQuilkin opened a general store on the National Road between present-day Third and Fourth Streets. The store proved useful to those working on the National Road and made McQuilkinsville an important town in the area. Because of the town's fertile soil, soon people started settling there as vegetable farmers. John Griggs and his son Edward put up a flour mill in 1867, but the structure was burned in 1870. The town expanded quickly, with Smith Hinch building a tavern on the National Road and Richard McIlroy building a brick general store and post office in 1872.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Terre Haute. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1941Terre Haute 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 West Terre Haute.
On the National Register
1 historic place in West Terre Haute
The 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.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices
West Terre Haute’s post office has been open since 1899. Another post office, Macsville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Macsville
1840–1899
West Terre Haute
1899–today
18401930today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about West Terre Haute’s history
What year was West Terre Haute founded?
The West Terre Haute post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does West Terre Haute rank for history?
West Terre Haute is more historic than 68% 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 West Terre Haute?
One place: the Bethany Congregational Church (listed 2003).
How old are the homes in West Terre Haute?
38% of West Terre Haute’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.5 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1959.
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 Wikidata (1), 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) 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.
