Carrollton dates to 1792, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #6 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 334 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1810.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1807.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Carrollton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Carrollton is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #6 of 142 in Kentucky. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Carrollton’s overall grade.
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 Carrollton’s 874 sits above most of its state (96% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 342 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1792.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.3 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Carrollton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Carrollton, building by building, 1886–1917
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.
Carrollton was laid out in 1792, and it was known as Port William initially. It served as the county seat of Gallatin County until 1843 when the county was split, creating Carroll County. Port William was renamed Carrollton after Declaration of Independence signer Charles Carroll and became the seat of the new county. The town's first newspaper, the Carrollton Crier, was published in 1848. On September 3, 1863, during the Civil War, Confederates robbed the Southern Bank of Kentucky and were followed by the Union Army. Confederates also stole the sword of prominent resident William Orlando Butler, and he later caught up with the troops and retrieved it. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad was built near town in 1868 and eventually became more important to the town's economy than river traffic. It did cause a spike in agricultural production, especially tobacco.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1792, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Carrollton’s post office opened in 1807, and the census of 1810 counted 120 people here.
How does Carrollton rank for history?
Carrollton is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #6 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 Carrollton?
7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Richard Masterson House (listed 1975, the first), and 1 historic district, the Carrollton Historic District, with 334 contributing buildings. 342 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Carrollton?
25% of Carrollton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.3 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1968.
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), 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.
1916
1941
1941
1941
