More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #125 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Kaplan was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1921 on, and the census since 1910.
Founding year: the first Kaplan post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Kaplan’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kaplan is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #125 of 161 in Louisiana. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kaplan’s 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 Kaplan’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (21% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points). 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 Kaplan’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1896, the Holy Rosary Catholic Church was established in the growing European-American settlement. Most of the people were Acadian, so the main language was French. The town was named after Abrom Kaplan, who bought the Jim Todd Plantation in 1901. The town of Kaplan grew quickly and was established in 1902. The following year, residents created the first school.
On July 14, 1906, the first Bastille Day Celebration was held. In 1911, the Eleazar Theater was built. In 1916, the Kaplan Telephone Company began. In 1920, the school was rebuilt.
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.
The Kaplan post office opened in 1902, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Kaplan rank for history?
Kaplan is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #125 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.
How old are the homes in Kaplan?
8% of Kaplan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (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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