Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Harwood was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2015. Below: maps from 1939 on and the census since 1890.
The Harwood post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Hard Wood (1857), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Harwood’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Harwood.
Harwood had its start when the railroad was extended to that point. The town site was platted in 1882. The village was named for one Mr. Harwood, a local landowner. A post office has been in operation at Harwood since 1882.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Harwood, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Mr. May cultivated his farm in Clear Creek township till the spring of 1892, when he moved into Harwood and opened a hard¬ ware store which he conducted two years. In 1895 he helped organize the Bank of Harwood, and served as its first cashier a number of years. Having in the meantime exchanged his Clear Creek farm for one a mile and a half southeast of Harwood, he moved thither, but after a residence of some six years sold the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
On the organization of the Bank of Harwood, in 1895, he was elected to its board of directors, became vice-president of the bank in 1898 and in 1899 was elected cashier, which office he still fills.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Harwood. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Harwood.
Between 29 and 240 people in every census since 1890.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Harwood’s Wikipedia page.
Nobody well known was born in Harwood itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Harwood’s post office has been open since 1882. Another post office, Hard Wood, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Harwood post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia, 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 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.
