Addis’ post office opened in 1909, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #122 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Addis was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2012. Its Register listing is the Bank of Addis. Below: maps from 1940 on and the census since 1920.
Founding year: the first Addis post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1915.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Addis’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Addis is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #122 of 161 in Louisiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Addis’ overall grade.
Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Addis’ 1.4 sits near the middle of its state (45% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1915 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 Addis’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Founded in 1881 or 1882, Addis was originally known Baton Rouge Junction; the community was created as a division point for the Texas and Pacific Railroad. Circa 1909, local citizens renamed the village to Addis to honor J. W. Addis, the railroad official who had convinced the railroad to build a depot, hotel, and other facilities there in 1904.
The Bank of Addis building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located in the town and is now the Addis Museum.
The Addis post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1915.
How does Addis rank for history?
Addis is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #122 of 161 in Louisiana. 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 Addis?
One place: the Bank of Addis (listed 1992).
How old are the homes in Addis?
2% of Addis’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 2012.
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 Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.
