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C+History
History · Beaver Dam

Beaver Dam dates to 1800

More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #97 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it

Most of Beaver Dam was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1880.

1800founded
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Beaver Dam began

When was Beaver Dam founded?

1800

Beaver Dam dates its founding to 1800 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 146 in 18802020 census: 3,531226 years

How historic is Beaver Dam?

C+

More historic than 38% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1852.
History grade

What drives Beaver Dam’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Beaver Dam is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #97 of 142 in Kentucky. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Beaver Dam’s overall grade.
Founding era1800, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19406.0% of homes (±4.1) · typical KY town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical KY town 29.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 38%
NewerOlder
Kentucky towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 32%

Kentucky towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kentucky town has 29.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Beaver Dam’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (12% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1800.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.1 points).

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 Beaver Dam’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 Beaver Dam are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsEstablished in 1800: 226 years of Beaver Dam.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Beaver Dam’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Beaver Dam’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Beaver Dam, 1800 to 1977

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1800
    FoundingBeaver Dam is established
  3. 1852Post officeThe Beaver Dam post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1923Born hereJohn Oldham is born here
  7. 1977Born hereJason Crabb is born here
The story so far

Beaver Dam, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Beaver Dam yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Beaver Dam is a home rule-class city in Ohio County, Kentucky, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, Beaver Dam had a population of 3,531. It is the most populous community in the county. It is named for the Beaver Dam Baptist Church which predates the town by several decades. The city was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1873.

Beaver Dam was established in 1800. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,409 to 3,531 (+4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Beaver Dam, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Beaver-Dam-from-RR-ky2018Beaver-Dam-from-RR-kyBeaver-Dam-RR-ky2018Beaver-Dam-RR-kyBeaver-Dam-Municipal-Building-ky2018Beaver-Dam-Municipal-Building-kyBeaver-Dam-Main-ky2018Beaver-Dam-Main-kyOhio County, KY, USA - panoramio (2)2013Ohio County, KY, USA - panoramio (2)2010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map for20102010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBook
On the map

Beaver Dam on the map, 1909 to 1981

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

Beaver Dam on the 1909 USGS mapBeaver Dam on the 1981 USGS map1909Hartford sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Beaver Dam.

Every building

Beaver Dam, building by building, 1910–1923

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Beaver Dam fire insurance map, 1910, sheet 11910Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Beaver Dam, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,500188019001920194019601980200020203,531

Grew from 146 people in 1880 to 3,531 in 2020, more than tenfold.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Beaver Dam’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Beaver Dam

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
John OldhamAmerican basketball player and coach, college a… · b. 1923
Jason CrabbAmerican musician · b. 1977

Questions about Beaver Dam’s history

What year was Beaver Dam founded?

In 1800, according to Wikidata. Beaver Dam’s post office opened in 1852, and the census of 1880 counted 146 people here.

How does Beaver Dam rank for history?

Beaver Dam is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #97 of 142 in Kentucky. 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 Beaver Dam?

6% of Beaver Dam’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1978.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.