Kasson’s post office opened in 1866, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #102 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Most of Kasson was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1870.
Founding year: the first Kasson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Kasson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kasson is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #102 of 273 in Minnesota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kasson’s overall grade.
Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kasson’s 7.1 sits above most of its state (69% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 5 listings 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 (±4.0 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 Kasson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
According to Warren Upham, superintendent of the Minnesota Historical Society from 1896 to 1934, the city of Kasson was incorporated on February 24, 1870, and again on April 22, 1916, separating from the township on March 21, 1917. The town was named after Jabez Hyde Kasson, owner of the original townsite. Kasson was born on January 17, 1820, and moved to Minnesota in 1856. He settled on a farm in the township, and laid out the village along with others. The plat was recorded on October 13, 1865. It had a station of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, and its post office opened in 1866.
The Kasson post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Kasson rank for history?
Kasson is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #102 of 273 in Minnesota. 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 Kasson?
5 listings: 4 buildings and 1 structure.
How old are the homes in Kasson?
10% of Kasson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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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