Hillsboro’s post office opened in 1838, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #113 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Thomas C. Fletcher House. Most of Hillsboro was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. Its Register listing is the Thomas C. Fletcher House. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1930 on, and the census since 1890.
The Hillsboro post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1839. Another post office, Hillsboro Station (1858), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 264 in 18902020 census: 3,473188 years
How historic is Hillsboro?
B−
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Hillsboro post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1839.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hillsboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hillsboro is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #113 of 247 in Missouri. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hillsboro’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 Hillsboro’s 5.7 sits above most of its state (66% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings 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 (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1839 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Hillsboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Hillsboro was originally called Monticello, and under the latter name was platted in 1839, and named after Monticello, home of President Thomas Jefferson. The name Monticello was afterwards changed because the U.S. postal authorities refused to accept that name, there being another post office in the state with a similar name. The present name Hillsboro is the English equivalent of the Italian name Monticello. A post office has been in operation at Hillsboro since 1838.
The Thomas C. Fletcher House and Sandy Creek Covered Bridge are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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.
People over time
Hillsboro, census by census
Grew from 264 people in 1890 to 3,473 in 2020, more than tenfold.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hillsboro’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and burying grounds
Hillsboro’s post office has been open since 1838. Another post office, Hillsboro Station, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hillsboro
1838–today
Hillsboro Station
1858–1863
18301930today
1cemetery inside Hillsboro
Hillsboro
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Hillsboro’s history
What year was Hillsboro founded?
The Hillsboro post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1839.
How does Hillsboro rank for history?
Hillsboro is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #113 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 Hillsboro?
One place: the Thomas C. Fletcher House (listed 1974).
How old are the homes in Hillsboro?
1% of Hillsboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1917
2016
2014
2004
