More historic than 22% of U.S. towns · #113 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Most of Louisburg was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1867.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Louisburg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Louisburg is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #113 of 151 in Kansas. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Louisburg’s overall grade.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Louisburg’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points). Two sources give 1867.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Louisburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to the American Civil War, the land of what is now called Louisburg was part of an area reserved for members of various tribes of Native Americans who were ceding their lands in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Settling there were the Peoria, Wea, Piankeshaw, and Kaskaskia tribes which together eventually became the Confederated Tribe of Peoria. Traders and missionaries often visited the area, and by 1854 Euro-American farmers began moving nearby, establishing homes.
In 1867, according to Wikidata. Louisburg’s post office opened in 1867, and the census of 1880 counted 499 people here.
How does Louisburg rank for history?
Louisburg is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #113 of 151 in Kansas. 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.
How old are the homes in Louisburg?
7% of Louisburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1997.
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), 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.
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