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History · Willisburg

Willisburg dates to 1838, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 63 buildings. Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1880.

1838founded
2on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Willisburg began

When was Willisburg founded?

1838

Willisburg dates its founding to 1838 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 90 in 18802020 census: 300188 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1838.The full story ↓

What stands out about Willisburg’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 Willisburg are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Willisburg Historic District takes in 63 historic buildings.Deep rootsEstablished in 1838: 188 years of Willisburg.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Willisburg’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

2 listings protect 64 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
64
each building in a district counts
first listed
1989
Willisburg Central Bank and Post Office
Willisburg Central Bank and Post OfficeWillisburg Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Romanesque Revival1
Willisburg Central Bank and Post OfficeRomanesque Revival
All 2 listings
Willisburg Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2014

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Timeline

Willisburg, 1838 to 1953

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1838
    FoundingWillisburg is established
  3. 1838Post officeThe Paoli post office opens
  4. 1839Post officeThe Paoli post office closes
  5. 1844Post officeThe Willisburg post office opens
  6. 1899Born hereLouis E. Miller is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Willisburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Willisburg.

Read it all →

Willisburg was founded in 1838, and was named for Captain Henry Willis, a Revolutionary War veteran. The city expanded in the 1870s as a crossroads community at the intersection of two turnpikes. Willisburg incorporated in 1965.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Willisburg, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Willisburg-post-office-ky2017Willisburg-post-office-kyWillisburg-North-Washington-Elementary-ky2017Willisburg-North-Washington-Elementary-kyWillisburg-Cloyd-water-tower-ky2017Willisburg-Cloyd-water-tower-kyWillisburg-City-Hall-ky2017Willisburg-City-Hall-kyWillisburg-433-Main-ky2017Willisburg-433-Main-kyDowntown2007Downtown
On the map

Willisburg on the map, 1953 to 1981

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

Willisburg on the 1953 USGS mapWillisburg on the 1981 USGS map1953Brush Grove 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 Willisburg.

People over time

Willisburg, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 304

Between 90 and 304 people in every census since 1880.

7 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Willisburg’s post office has been open since 1844. Another post office, Paoli, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Paoli
1838–1839
Willisburg
1844–today
18301930today

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

Questions about Willisburg’s history

What year was Willisburg founded?

In 1838, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Willisburg’s post office opened in 1838, and the census of 1880 counted 90 people here.

What is on the National Register in Willisburg?

Two places: the Willisburg Central Bank and Post Office (listed 1989) and the Willisburg Historic District (2014).

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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.