London’s post office opened in 1831, and 6 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns · #62 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 17 buildings. Most of London was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1860.
The London post office opened in 1831, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Sublimity (1860), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 235 in 18602020 census: 7,572195 years
How historic is London?
B
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first London post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives London’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, London is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #62 of 142 in Kentucky. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of London’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 London’s 29.1 sits near the middle of its state (50% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 22 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% 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 (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 London’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
The area around London had been territory of the Cherokee people for centuries. In 1776, Daniel Boone passed through the area that would become London.
Upon the establishment of Laurel County in 1825, a vote was held to provide for the new area's seat of government. The land offered by John Jackson and his son Jarvis Jackson was selected, along with their suggested name of London, honoring their English heritage.
The town was founded the next year, its post office established in 1831, and its city rights granted in 1836.
One of John Jackson's sons was Hancock Lee Jackson, 13th governor of Missouri. His second cousin was Claiborne Fox Jackson, 15th governor of Missouri.
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.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
London’s post office has been open since 1831. Another post office, Sublimity, opened and closed inside today’s town.
London
1831–today
Sublimity
1860–1878
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Sublimity City
Gone or out of use
Richies OrchardlocaleSue Bennett Collegeschool
1cemetery inside London
Dyche Memorial Park
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about London’s history
What year was London founded?
The London post office opened in 1831, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does London rank for history?
London is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #62 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 London?
6 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Federal Building-Courthouse (listed 1974, the first), and 1 historic district, the London Downtown Historic District, with 17 contributing buildings. 22 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in London?
6% of London’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.
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