Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #99 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them the S.S. BADGER (carferry), a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 64 buildings. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them the S.S. BADGER (carferry), a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 64 buildings. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1883 on, and the census since 1880.
The Ludington post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ludington is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #99 of 701 in Michigan. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ludington’s 89.9 sits above most of its state (93% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 69 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.
★ Landmark
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
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.
1883Sheet 1 of 12Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Ludington.
In 1675, Father Jacques Marquette, French missionary and explorer, died and was laid to rest near the modern site of Ludington. A memorial and 40-foot (12 m) iron cross were built in 1955 to mark the location.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Ludington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The Pere Marquette River runs north-westerly through the town¬ ship until it empties into the lake of the same name. Upon the north shore of this lake and in the northwest comer of the town¬ ship is the city of Ludington. There are two schoolhouses in the township outside the city of Ludington. It was just south of the 1 lake in this township that the county ‘ seat was located Until its removal to Lincoln.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In the year 1870 the former school district organization was changed to a union or graded school organization, with six trustees instead of three officers; retaining, however, its old name of School District No. 8, till the organization of the city of Ludington, at ' which time the district changed its name, and was created by the j name of Union School District No. 1, of the city of Ludington.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
BuiltLudington North Breakwater Light is built
In the archiveLake House hotel 1877
In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Michigan - Mason County - Ludington - ED 53-13, E…
Born hereWilliam A. Ekwall is born here
In the archivePere Marquette Lumber Company store
In the archiveEpworth Heights Hotel
Born hereWilliam R. Charette is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereMurphy Jensen is born here4 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
c. 1891Pere Marquette Lumber Company store
1894Epworth Heights Hotel, 1894
c. 1895Epworth League Railway, ca 1895c. 1905Epworth Heights Hotel
1905Stearns Hotel 1905
c. 1908Epworth Heights beach
1908Greetings from Ludington, Mich. Pere Marquette passen…
1908Ludington Dummy train c1908
1908Greetings from Ludington, Mich. Pere Marquette passen…
1908Greetings from Epworth Heights, Mich. The Heights
1908Greetings from Epworth Heights, Mich. Epworth Hotel a…Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ludington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ludington.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Ludington’s page.
Retake this view · +15Between 4,190 and 9,506 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ludington’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Ludington post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Ludington is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #99 of 701 in Michigan. 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.
7 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Mason County Courthouse (listed 1988, the first), 1 historic district, the East Ludington Avenue Historic District, with 64 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 69 historic buildings in all.
37% of Ludington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1957.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (14), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.
1880
c. 1880
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