Rayville’s post office opened in 1867, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns · #63 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Rayville was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Its Register listings are the Rhymes, Nonnie Roark, Memorial Library, the St. David's Episcopal Church and the Rayville High School. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1919 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: the first Rayville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Rayville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rayville is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #63 of 161 in Louisiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rayville’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 Rayville’s 15.3 sits above most of its state (73% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.5 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 Rayville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rayville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Rayville is a town in and the parish seat of Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,347 in the 2020 census, down nearly 21 percent from 4,234 in 2000. The City Hall, located next to the U.S. Post Office across from U.S. Highway 80, is named for former Rayville Mayor Joe Kalil (1922–1996).
Its first post office opened in 1867. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,695 to 3,347 (-9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Rayville, 1867 to 1984
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 Rayville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1935Alto sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Rayville.
Every building
Rayville, building by building, 1919–1927
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.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Questions about Rayville’s history
What year was Rayville founded?
The Rayville post office opened in 1867, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Rayville rank for history?
Rayville is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #63 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 Rayville?
Three places: the Rhymes, Nonnie Roark, Memorial Library (listed 1990), the St. David's Episcopal Church (2007) and the Rayville High School (1992).
How old are the homes in Rayville?
5% of Rayville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 (5), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
2026
2017
2010
2010
