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History · Chaplin

Chaplin’s post office opened in 1832

Most of Chaplin was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: 1 old photo or paper.

1832first post office
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Chaplin’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Chaplin began

When was Chaplin founded?

1832

The Chaplin post office opened in 1832, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 440194 years
Founding year: the first Chaplin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Chaplin’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.Deep rootsA post office since 1832: 194 years of Chaplin.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Chaplin’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewKentucky Route 1754 Bridge, Spanning Ch…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Chaplin, in brief

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

Chaplin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census, Chaplin had a population of 440. Chaplin has a post office with ZIP code 40012, which opened on January 4, 1832. U.S. Route 62 passes through the community.

Its first post office opened in 1832. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 418 to 440 (+5%).

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

By decade

Chaplin, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Kentucky Route 1754 Bridge, Spanning Chaplin River on Kentucky Route 1754Date?Kentucky Route 1754 Bridge, Spanning Chaplin River on…
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.

Kentucky Route 1754 Bridge, Spanning Chaplin River on Kentucky Route 1754
Retake this viewKentucky Route 1754 Bridge, Spanning Chaplin River on Kentucky Route 1754

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Chaplin

Nobody well known was born in Chaplin itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Hal MooreUnited States Army lieutenant general · b. 1922
S
Stith ThompsonAmerican folklorist · b. 1885
J. C. W. BeckhamGovernor of Kentucky · b. 1869
Marie McDonaldAmerican actress and singer · b. 1923
Augustus Owsley StanleyAmerican state and federal politician · b. 1867
Champ ClarkAmerican politician · b. 1850

Questions about Chaplin’s history

What year was Chaplin founded?

The Chaplin post office opened in 1832, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From the Library of Congress (1), 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.