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History · La Grange

La Grange dates to 1830, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

7 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1885 on and the census since 1850.

1830founded
7on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How La Grange began

When was La Grange founded?

1830

La Grange dates its founding to 1830 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 385 in 18502020 census: 825196 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1832.The full story ↓

What stands out about La Grange’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of La Grange are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1930, drew every building in La Grange.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,576 in 1870; 825 people lived here in 2020.Landmarks on the Register7 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start La Grange’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how La Grange’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

La Grange, building by building, 1885–1930

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.

La Grange fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

La Grange, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001850190019502000Peak: 1,576

Peaked at 1,576 in 1870; 825 people lived here in 2020.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on La Grange’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How La Grange came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of La Grange.

Read it all →

La Grange was founded in 1830. A post office called La Grange has been in operation since 1833.

In 1885, the Supreme Court ruled against the city in Cole v. La Grange. The court found that the city could only use eminent domain powers for public purposes and not to specifically benefit the La Grange Iron and Steel Company.

In 1858 the Southern Baptists opened the LaGrange Male and Female Seminary. It later became LaGrange College, with a two-year junior college program.

In 1928 it moved to Hannibal as Hannibal–LaGrange College (now Hannibal–LaGrange University).

In 2001, the Mark Twain Casino opened in a stationary riverboat.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

La Grange, 1830 to 1992

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1830
    FoundingLa Grange is established
  3. 1832Post officeThe La Grange post office opens
  4. 1870CensusPopulation peaks at 1,576
  5. 1872Born hereElla Ewing is born here
  6. 1878Born hereGeorge Moore is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1920Born hereJames Ellsworth Noland is born here
  9. 1986On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1992Born hereJustin Jennings is born here
By decade

La Grange, decade by decade

Today7 recent
William Gray House2015William Gray HouseLa Grange First Presbyterian Church2015La Grange First Presbyterian ChurchLa Grange Civil War monument2015La Grange Civil War monumentJohn McKoon House site2015John McKoon House siteDr. J.A. Hay House2015Dr. J.A. Hay HouseA.C. Waltman House2015A.C. Waltman HouseLa Grange College Mo2013La Grange College Mo
On the map

La Grange on the map in 1986

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of La Grange.

La Grange on the 1986 USGS map1986Keokuk sheet · 1:100,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of La Grange.

On the National Register

7 historic places in La Grange

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
7
each building in a district counts
first listed
1999
A.C. Waltman House
A.C. Waltman HouseDr. J.A. Hay HouseJohn McKoon HouseWilliam Gray HouseFirst Presbyterian ChurchFred Rhoda HouseJoseph Hipkins House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival7
I-House3
Italianate1
Temple Front Church1
A.C. Waltman HouseGreek Revival
Dr. J.A. Hay HouseGreek Revival
John McKoon HouseGreek Revival
William Gray HouseGreek Revival
First Presbyterian ChurchGreek Revival
All 7 listings
Fred Rhoda HouseBuilding · listed 1999Joseph Hipkins HouseBuilding · listed 2008

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

5 famous people were born in La Grange

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Ella EwingTallest female of her era · b. 1872
James Ellsworth NolandUnited States federal judge · b. 1920
G
George MooreMissouri attorney and United States federal jud… · b. 1878
J
Justin JenningsAmerican stock car racing driver · b. 1992
R
Rose SchneiderAmerican painter · b. 1895
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

La Grange’s post office has been open since 1832.

Gone or out of use
Windy Hill Airportairport
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside La Grange
Marks MemorialRiverview

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about La Grange’s history

What year was La Grange founded?

In 1830, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. La Grange’s post office opened in 1832, and the census of 1850 counted 385 people here.

What is on the National Register in La Grange?

7 listings: 7 buildings, among them the A.C. Waltman House (listed 1999, the first).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.