Centralia dates to 1857, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns · #85 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Chatol and the Albert Bishop Chance House and Gardens. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1858.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Centralia’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Centralia is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #85 of 247 in Missouri. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Centralia’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Centralia’s 4.3 sits near the middle of its state (61% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±10.5 points). Two sources give 1857.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Centralia’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.
1893Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Centralia was laid out in 1857 and was named after its central location on the North Missouri Railroad from St. Louis to Ottumwa, Iowa, and from the fact that it was located near the center of a vast prairie between Mexico and Huntsville, and between Columbia and Paris.
On September 27, 1864, 22 unarmed Union soldiers returning home on leave were pulled from a train in Centralia and executed by Confederate bushwhackers under William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson. A Union force pursuing the guerrillas was ambushed, and about 150 were killed. The incident came to be known as the Centralia Massacre.
Passages that mention Centralia, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The bench and bar of Boone County, Missouri1916 · page 192Read the page →
Read the text
city of Centralia vs State Auditor. He held court in Centralia. Senator Walker is a Methodist and Knight Templar. W. H. ROTHWELL W. H. Rothwell, familiarly known as “Hamp”, was a friend of the boys, especially some of the University boys. While Mr. Rothwell was city attorney of Columbia, it became necessary to prosecute two of the members of the University football team for disturbing the peace. It was then not long before the Missouri-Kansas game, and all
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.
Timeline
Centralia, 1857 to 1958
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1857, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Centralia’s post office opened in 1858, and the census of 1880 counted 703 people here.
How does Centralia rank for history?
Centralia is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #85 of 247 in Missouri. 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 Centralia?
Two places: the Chatol (listed 1979) and the Albert Bishop Chance House and Gardens (1979).
How old are the homes in Centralia?
25% of Centralia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.5 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (12), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
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