On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gower is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gower’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 Gower’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 Gower’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gower. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1925Gower sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Gower.
The story so far
Gower, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Gower yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Gower is a city in Buchanan and Clinton counties Missouri, United States, that is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 1,533 at the 2020 census. The Buchanan County portion of Gower is part of the St. Joseph, MO–KS Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Clinton County portion is part of the Kansas City, MO–KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Its first post office opened in 1880. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,526 in 2010, 1,533 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Gower in 1881
Passages that mention Gower, cut from the printed page as they were published.
After the war he returned to Clinton Count}-. In 18^,6, his father purchased a farm on which the town of Gower stands, and when that town was laid out, E. T. was one of its first business men. engaging in the lumber trade and the handling of agricultural implements. He was also engaged in contracting and building, and erected a number of its first buildings. He was president of the first town board, and -A-as a resident of the town until 1876, when Plattsburg became his home. Many of the substantial buildings in Clinton and adjoining' counties, including resi-
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.
The Gower post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Gower rank for history?
Gower is more historic than 31% 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.
How old are the homes in Gower?
12% of Gower’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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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