Louisiana dates to 1816, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 98% of U.S. towns · #3 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
12 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 116 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1820.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Louisiana’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Louisiana is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #3 of 247 in Missouri. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Louisiana’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 Louisiana’s 397 sits above most of its state (98% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 128 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% 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 (±6.8 points). Two sources give 1816.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Louisiana’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.
Every building
Louisiana, building by building, 1885–1917
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.
The town was founded in 1816 by John Walter Basye and named after his daughter, Louisiana Basye. Other notable early residents were Samuel Caldwell and Joel Shaw, both of whom purchased land from Basye in 1818. All three properties became the original town plat and comprised mainly riverfront properties. Many of the town's residents trace their ancestry to these town pioneers. Louisiana proved to be a profitable shipping point on the Mississippi River, and that wealth led to numerous substantial antebellum homes. Many of those remain and, along with the Georgia Street Historic District in downtown Louisiana, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has noted that the town has "the most intact Victorian Streetscape in the state of Missouri."
Passages that mention Louisiana, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The province and the states, a history of the province of Louisiana under France and Spain, and of the territories and states of the United States formed therefrom1904Read the page →
Read the text
Among the important laws enacted in 1837 were tne following: To incorporate the Mandeville & Pearl River Railroad Company, the Madisonville & Covington Railroad Company, the Mexican Gulf Railroad Company, the Louisiana & Mississippi Railroad Company, the Natchez & Sabine Railroad Company, and the Vidalia, Harrisonburg & Alexandria Railroad Company; to appropriate annually but not exceeding in any one year, forty thousand dollars, certain revenues, such as forfeited 1k>u(1s, fines,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The province and the states, a history of the province of Louisiana under France and Spain, and of the territories and states of the United States formed therefrom1904Read the page →
Read the text
Tulane University of Louisiana was founded in 1884 upon an agreement between the state and the trustees of the Tulane Education Fund, under which the old University of Louisiana became the Tulane University of Louisiana and the beneficiary of the splendid bequest of the philanthropist, Paul Tulane. The institution had its origin hack in [834 as the Medical College of Louisiana, which -ranted the first professional degrees in the Southwest. It had four departments: Medicine, Law, Natural
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
I am to be understood as speaking of Louisiana in general ; the two important sections of it, the territory of Missouri, and the state of Louisiana, are not exceeded, either in point of climate or soil, by any portions of equal magnitude on tlie continent, and may be justly regarded as among tlie most interesting parts of our empire. But when we look upon the chart of Louisiana, we will disco-
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.
Timeline
Louisiana, 1816 to 1937
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Louisiana’s history
What year was Louisiana founded?
In 1816, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Louisiana’s post office opened in 1820, and the census of 1850 counted 912 people here.
How does Louisiana rank for history?
Louisiana is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #3 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 Louisiana?
12 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Luce-Dyer House (listed 1982, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Georgia Street Historic District and the North Third Street Historic District, with 116 contributing buildings. 128 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Louisiana?
47% of Louisiana’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1952.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (12), 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, 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.
1876
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