Excelsior Springs dates to 1880, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #57 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
10 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 161 buildings between them. Below: 24 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1883.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Excelsior Springs’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Excelsior Springs is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #57 of 247 in Missouri. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Excelsior Springs’ 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 Excelsior Springs’ 160 sits above most of its state (94% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 168 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.2 points). Two sources give 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Excelsior Springs’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Excelsior Springs, building by building, 1894–1913
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.
This location had a major incident during the historic march of Zion's Camp in 1834 when a contingent of about 200 Mormon believers, marching to rescue their brethren in Jackson County, faced an angry mob of more than 300. Near two forks of Fishing River, a terrible fight was about to start when a severe thunderstorm rolled in suddenly and put the mob to flight. Zion's Camp was able to move forward unharmed. Historical markers to the incident are located nearby.
Passages that mention Excelsior Springs, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Clay County, Missouri1920 · page 640Read the page →
Read the text
In 1895 he went to Cowgill, Missouri, and clerked in a drug store until 1899. He then came to Excelsior Springs, remaining here about four months that time when he opened a drug store at Blue Springs, Missouri. He conducted that store until 1906 when he returned to Excelsior Springs and bought out the Higbee Drug Company, and since that time he has been engaged in the drug business here. His store is located at 217 East Broadway, and he carries a complete line of drugs, druggist sundries and even-thing usually found in a first class drug store.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Clay County, Missouri1920 · page 694Read the page →
Read the text
James W. Snapp, proprietor of the Hotel Snapp at Excelsior Springs, which is one of the leading first class hotels of the country, has been a prominent factor in the progress and development of Excelsior Springs and by his foresight and enterprise has contributed in no small way to the prominent place which Excelsior Springs occupies among the leading resorts of the country.
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
Excelsior Springs, 1880 to 1958
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Excelsior Springs. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1957Excelsior Springs sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Excelsior Springs.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Missouri - Clay County - Excelsior Springs - ED 24-1, ED 24-2A, ED 24-2B, ED 24…, 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Excelsior Springs’ page.
In 1880, according to Wikidata. Excelsior Springs’ post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1890 counted 2,034 people here.
How does Excelsior Springs rank for history?
Excelsior Springs is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #57 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 Excelsior Springs?
10 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Hall of Waters (listed 1983, the first), and 4 historic districts with 161 contributing buildings. 168 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Excelsior Springs?
17% of Excelsior Springs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1969.
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 (32), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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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1898![Vice Pres. Fairbanks, Excelsior Spgs. [Springs], Mo., Aug. 20th, '08](https://images.townratings.com/story/10146/b3190f97d9e28bf413a2-s.jpg)
1908![Vice Pres. Fairbanks, Ex. Spgs [Excelsior Springs], Mo., Aug. 20th, '08](https://images.townratings.com/story/10146/493c2c1f9059bdfde0d8-s.jpg)
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