Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1846.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Maryville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Maryville is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #47 of 247 in Missouri. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Maryville’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 Maryville’s 5.8 sits above most of its state (67% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 6 listings outnumber those of 72% 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 (±3.1 points). Two sources give 1845.
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 Maryville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Maryville's name originates from the town's first postmaster, Amos Graham. Graham was one of the original settlers of what would later become downtown Maryville, and the city was named after his wife, Mary. In addition to his above historical role, Graham was also one of the original Nodaway County Commissioners and served as the first county clerk when the county was formally organized in 1845. Maryville, which is near the geographic center of Nodaway County, was also named the county seat in the same year. It has also been stylized as Marysville.
Passages that mention Maryville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Nodaway county, Missouri, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., biographical sketches of its citizens1882 · page 268Read the page →
Read the text
Maryville), of record, dated July 19, 1869: " Now, at this day, comes I. V. McMillan, M. G. Roseberry, et al.r and present a petition to this court, setting forth the metes and bounds of the Town of Maryville, and its commons, in the County of Nodaway, and praying that they may be incorporated, and a police established for the local government, and for the preservation and regulation of the commons appertaining to said Town of Maryville, and the court being satisfied that two-thirds of the taxable inhabitants of said Town of Mary-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Nodaway county, Missouri, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., biographical sketches of its citizens1882 · page 299Read the page →
Read the text
At the August term of the county court for 1870, we find the following order establishing a cemetery for Maryville : "Now comes I. V. McMillan, attorney for the inhabitants of the incorporated town of Maryville, and asks the court to condemn the cemetery grounds belonging to said Nodaway County, and lying within the limits of said corporation, and to prohibit the burial of any person therein from and after this date ; also that said court make an order passing all of the right, title and interest of said Nodaway County in
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
Maryville, 1845 to 1943
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.
In 1845, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Maryville’s post office opened in 1846, and the census of 1860 counted 427 people here.
How does Maryville rank for history?
Maryville is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #47 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 Maryville?
6 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Thomas Gaunt House (listed 1979, the first), and 1 structure.
How old are the homes in Maryville?
14% of Maryville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (13), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.
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