Maplewood’s post office opened in 1892, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #25 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 55 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1933 on, and the census since 1910.
The Maplewood post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Valley (1873) and Bartold Valley (1877), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 4,976 in 19102020 census: 8,269134 years
How historic is Maplewood?
A
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Maplewood post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Maplewood’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Maplewood is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #25 of 247 in Missouri. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Maplewood’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 Maplewood’s 69.9 sits above most of its state (90% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 57 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Maplewood’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Maplewood was established around the turn of the 20th century. Maplewood was one of the early suburbs of St. Louis. Located just outside the city limits, Maplewood was located at the end of one of St. Louis's streetcar lines and was also located near major railroads.
It was built as a bedroom community. Advertising suggested that people should get away from the city (in an era of common and sooty commercial, industrial, and domestic coal burning) and enjoy the fresh air of less densely populated areas like Maplewood. Maplewood's historic residential areas were mostly built from 1900 to 1910 and a number of well-preserved homes remain. Several of these homes have remained in the same family for generations.
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.
The Maplewood post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Maplewood rank for history?
Maplewood is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #25 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 Maplewood?
6 listings: 2 buildings and 4 historic districts with 55 contributing buildings. 57 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Maplewood?
42% of Maplewood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 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 (7), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, 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.
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