5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 31 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Glasgow’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Glasgow is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Glasgow’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 Glasgow’s 313 sits above most of its state (97% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 35 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.5 points). Two sources give 1836.
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 Glasgow’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Glasgow, census by census
Peaked at 1,841 in 1880; 1,087 people lived here in 2020.
17 censuses, 1860–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Glasgow’s Wikipedia page.
Every building
Glasgow, building by building, 1885–1922
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.
Glasgow was laid out and platted in 1836, partially from land acquired from former Missouri State Treasurer James Earickson The city was named for James Glasgow, a local merchant. A post office called Glasgow has been in operation since 1837.
The Battle of Glasgow was fought on October 15, 1864, in and near Glasgow as part of Price's Missouri Expedition during the American Civil War. Although the battle resulted in a Confederate victory and the capture of significant war material, it had little long-term benefit as Price was ultimately defeated at Westport a week later, bringing his campaign in Missouri to an end.
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.
In 1836, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Glasgow’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1860 counted 1,035 people here.
How does Glasgow rank for history?
Glasgow is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. 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 Glasgow?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Glasgow Public Library (listed 1969, the first), and 1 historic district, the Glasgow Commercial Historic District, with 31 contributing buildings. 35 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Glasgow?
22% of Glasgow’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.5 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (1), 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.
1876
1876
2012
2012
2012
2011
2007
2004
