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B+History
History · Cadiz

Cadiz dates to 1820, and 7 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #44 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it

Most of Cadiz was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 48 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1830.

1820founded
7on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Cadiz began

When was Cadiz founded?

1820

Cadiz dates its founding to 1820 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1830.

First census: 112 in 18302020 census: 2,540206 years

How historic is Cadiz?

B+

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1821.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Cadiz’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cadiz is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #44 of 142 in Kentucky. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cadiz’s overall grade.
Founding era1820, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19406.2% of homes (±4.8) · typical KY town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register7 listings, 53 historic buildings, 198 per 10,000 residents · typical KY town 29.9 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 75%
NewerOlder
Kentucky towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 70%

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 Cadiz’s 198 sits above most of its state (81% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 53 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.8 points). Two sources give 1820.

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 Cadiz’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Cadiz Main Street Residential District takes in 32 historic buildings.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1902 to 1909, drew every building in Cadiz.Landmarks on the Register7 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cadiz’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewJames Ramsey Dabney, Cadiz, Kentucky, c…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

7 listings protect 53 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
53
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Cadiz Masonic Lodge No. 121 F. and A.M.
Cadiz Masonic Lodge No. 121 F. and A.M.Cadiz Main Street Residential DistrictCadiz Downtown Historic DistrictConfederate Monument of Cadiz, built 1903George and Nellie White Smith House
BuildingsDistrictsObjects

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
Twentieth Century Revival1
Italianate1
Federal1
Greek Revival1
Commercial Style1
Cadiz Masonic Lodge No. 121 F. and A.M.Building
Cadiz Main Street Residential DistrictQueen Anne
All 7 listings
John McCaughan HouseBuilding · listed 1987Cadiz Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988Confederate Monument of CadizObject · listed 1997George and Nellie White Smith HouseBuilding · listed 2024George Prentice Thomas HouseBuilding · listed 2026

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Every building

Cadiz, building by building, 1902–1909

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.

Cadiz fire insurance map, 1902, sheet 11902Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Cadiz came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cadiz.

Read it all →

In May 1820. the county commission chose to use Robert Baker's land as the site of the county seat. He relinquished his stable yard and the surrounding 50 acres (200,000 m2). From August to October, the commission platted the town in blocks and named it as Cadiz. Rennick's Kentucky Place Names repeats the local tradition that a Spaniard in the surveying party successfully suggested his hometown. The book also states that "It was definitely not named for the city in Ohio." The name, however, does not take the Spanish pronunciation.

Chapters1993 Cadiz auto-truck collision

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Cadiz, 1820 to 1961

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1820
    FoundingCadiz is established
  3. 1821Post officeThe Cadiz post office opens
  4. 1853Post officeThe Montgomery post office opens
  5. 1860In the archiveJames Ramsey Dabney, Cadiz, Kentucky, carte-de-visite photograph, circa 1860-1867
  6. 20th century
  7. 1903BuiltConfederate Monument of Cadiz is built
  8. 1916Post officeThe Montgomery post office closes
  9. 1940Born hereRoger Vinson is born here
  10. 1941Born hereCharles Tyler is born here
  11. 1942Born hereCoy Bacon is born here
  12. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1961Born hereJoe Bolton is born here
By decade

Cadiz, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s1 item
James Ramsey Dabney, Cadiz, Kentucky, carte-de-visite photograph, circa 1860-18671860James Ramsey Dabney, Cadiz, Kentucky, carte-de-visite…
Today12 recent
George Prentice Thomas House2026George Prentice Thomas HouseGeorge and Nellie White Smith House2025George and Nellie White Smith HouseA cornfield near Cadiz, Kentucky, whose appearance recalls words from "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin," the song from a mus…2020A cornfield near Cadiz, Kentucky, whose appearance re…A cornfield near Cadiz, Kentucky, whose appearance recalls words from "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin," the song from a mus…2020A cornfield near Cadiz, Kentucky, whose appearance re…Path through a cornfield near Cadiz, Kentucky2020Path through a cornfield near Cadiz, KentuckyView from Lake Barkley State Resort Park Lodge2016View from Lake Barkley State Resort Park LodgeNew Trigg County Courthouse2014New Trigg County CourthouseMain east of Brown in2014Main east of Brown inCadiz Masonic Lodge2014Cadiz Masonic Lodge2010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map for20102010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBookKYMap-doton-Cadiz2004KYMap-doton-CadizCadiz courthouse with sign2004Cadiz courthouse with sign
On the map

Cadiz on the map, 1953 to 1982

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

Cadiz on the 1953 USGS mapCadiz on the 1967 USGS mapCadiz on the 1982 USGS map1953Cadiz 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 Cadiz.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

James Ramsey Dabney, Cadiz, Kentucky, carte-de-visite photograph, circa 1860-1867
Retake this viewJames Ramsey Dabney, Cadiz, Kentucky, carte-de-visite photograph, circa 1860-1867, 1860

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Cadiz’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Cadiz, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001850190019502000Peak: 2,558

Between 112 and 2,558 people in every census since 1830.

19 censuses, 1830–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Cadiz

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

See all →
C
Coy BaconAmerican football player · b. 1942
C
Charles TylerAmerican musician · b. 1941
J
Joe BoltonAmerican writer · b. 1961
R
Roger VinsonAmerican federal judge; former lawyer; former n… · b. 1940
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Cadiz’s post office has been open since 1821. Another post office, Montgomery, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Cadiz
1821–today
Montgomery
1853–1916
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Montgomery

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Cadiz’s history

What year was Cadiz founded?

In 1820, according to Wikidata. Cadiz’s post office opened in 1821, and the census of 1830 counted 112 people here.

How does Cadiz rank for history?

Cadiz is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #44 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.

What is on the National Register in Cadiz?

7 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Cadiz Masonic Lodge No. 121 F. and A.M. (listed 1979, the first), 2 historic districts, the Cadiz Main Street Residential District and the Cadiz Downtown Historic District, with 48 contributing buildings, and 1 object. 53 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Cadiz?

6% of Cadiz’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1974.

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 (10), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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), 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.