Springfield dates to 1793, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #12 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
30 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 196 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1800.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1796.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Springfield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Springfield is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #12 of 142 in Kentucky. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Springfield’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 Springfield’s 800 sits above most of its state (95% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 232 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1793.
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 (±7.4 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 Springfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Springfield was established in 1793 and probably named for springs in the area.
The home of Senator John Pope, Richard Berry Jr. House and the Mordecai Lincoln House are historic houses in Springfield listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Springfield, noted by filmmakers as Hollywood South, is the site of Kentucky's first and only movie sound stage. The Springfield Bonded Film Complex was established as a part of the development of Kentucky's film industry following the introduction of the state's film tax credit.
Passages that mention Springfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Supplement no. 1 to edition B of the MacDonald genealogy. Containing records of the descendants of Jesse Peter, one of the pioneer settlers near Mackville, Washington County, Kentucky1880Read the page →
Read the text
28 Feb., 1796, near Springfield, Ky., and d. of infant fever in Spencer Co., Indiana, 5 Oct., 1826. Hem. 2d, Th., ii Mar., 1830, Mrs. John H. Parrott (born Elizabeth Pile, dr. of Benjamin and Ruth Pile), who was b. 31 Oct., 1799, and d. in Washington Co., Ky., 22 Mar., 1865. Mountford died of pleuro-pneumonia 14 Apr., 1864; his second wife of typhoid pneumonia.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Springfield, 1788 to 1953
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Springfield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1953Springfield sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Springfield.
Every building
Springfield, building by building, 1886–1909
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.
Springfield’s post office has been open since 1796.
Springfield
1796–today
Saint Catherine
1900–today
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BriartownSaint Catharine
1cemetery inside Springfield
Saint Dominics
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Springfield’s history
What year was Springfield founded?
In 1793, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Springfield’s post office opened in 1796, and the census of 1800 counted 164 people here.
How does Springfield rank for history?
Springfield is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #12 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 Springfield?
30 listings: 26 buildings, among them the John Pope House (listed 1976, the first), and 4 historic districts with 196 contributing buildings. 232 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Springfield?
17% of Springfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.4 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 (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (30), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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