Princeton’s post office opened in 1812, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 81% of U.S. towns · #30 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 41 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1830.
Founding year: the first Princeton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1820.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Princeton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Princeton is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #30 of 142 in Kentucky. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Princeton’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 Princeton’s 76.9 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 48 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 (±5.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1820 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Princeton’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 community at the head of Eddy Creek was first called Eddy Grove for the creek's source at a large whirling spring. 1,700 acres (690 ha) of surrounding land was granted to the Virginian William Prince for his service during the American Revolution. He settled there in what was then Livingston County in 1799 and erected Shandy Hall, a brick home and tavern. Prince's heirs and another local landowner named Thomas Frazier granted 40 acres (16 ha) around Eddy Grove and Prince's Place towards the establishment of a new town in 1817, provided the courthouse of the newly formed Caldwell County was relocated there from Eddyville. The county court accepted the proposal in July and named the new community Princetown, which shortened to Princeton by the time of the Eddy Grove.
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.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Princeton’s history
What year was Princeton founded?
The Princeton post office opened in 1812, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1820.
How does Princeton rank for history?
Princeton is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #30 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 Princeton?
7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Adsmore (listed 1973, the first), 1 historic district, the Princeton Downtown Commercial District, with 41 contributing buildings, and 1 object. 48 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Princeton?
15% of Princeton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1969.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), 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.
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