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History · Drakesboro

Drakesboro dates to 1888, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1913 on and the census since 1900.

1888founded
0on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Drakesboro began

When was Drakesboro founded?

1888

Drakesboro dates its founding to 1888 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 228 in 19002020 census: 481138 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1889.

What stands out about Drakesboro’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 Drakesboro are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,255 in 1940; 481 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19135 editions of the USGS map, 1913 to 1997. Watch Drakesboro change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Drakesboro’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Drakesboro, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,255

Peaked at 1,255 in 1940; 481 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

On the map

Drakesboro on the map, 1913 to 1997

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

Drakesboro on the 1913 USGS mapDrakesboro on the 1953 USGS mapDrakesboro on the 1963 USGS mapDrakesboro on the 1982 USGS mapDrakesboro on the 1997 USGS map1913Drakesboro 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 Drakesboro.

The story so far

Drakesboro, in brief

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

Drakesboro is a home rule-class city in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 481 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1888, the city was named for early pioneer William Drake.

Drakesboro was established in 1888. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 515 to 481 (-7%).

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

Timeline

Drakesboro, 1888 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888
    FoundingDrakesboro is established
  3. 1889Post officeThe Drakesboro post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1913On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 1,255
By decade

Drakesboro, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Drakesboro-post-office-ky2018Drakesboro-post-office-kyDrakesboro-park-ky2018Drakesboro-park-kyDrakesboro-Four-Legends-Fountain-ky2018Drakesboro-Four-Legends-Fountain-kyDrakesboro-City-Hall-park-ky2018Drakesboro-City-Hall-park-kyDrakesboro-City-Hall-ky2018Drakesboro-City-Hall-kyKYMap-doton-Drakesboro2004KYMap-doton-Drakesboro
Famous people

Famous people close to Drakesboro

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

See all →
Miles HeizerAmerican actor · b. 1994
Bill MonroeAmerican bluegrass musician, songwriter · b. 1911
Demetrious JohnsonAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1986
Terry BissonAmerican science fiction and fantasy author · b. 1942
Ruby LaffoonAmerican politician · b. 1869
Virgil EarpDeputy US marshal and soldier · b. 1843
Places that used to be

Old corners

Drakesboro’s post office has been open since 1889.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Peanut

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

Questions about Drakesboro’s history

What year was Drakesboro founded?

In 1888, according to Wikidata. Drakesboro’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1900 counted 228 people here.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.