Monroe City dates to 1857, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 63% of U.S. towns · #90 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Washington School, the St. Jude's Episcopal Church and the Farmers and Merchants Bank Building. Below: maps from 1903 on and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1831.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Monroe City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Monroe City is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #90 of 247 in Missouri. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Monroe City’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 Monroe City’s 9.9 sits above most of its state (72% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±5.9 points). Two sources give 1857.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Monroe City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Monroe City was platted in 1857, and named for its location within Monroe County. A post office called Monroe City has been in operation since 1860.
In 1907, Monroe City repealed its sundown town ordinance that it had set three weeks prior for Black people to return home by eight o'clock at night. During the time of the curfew, "Several, desiring to test the efficacy of the order, were severely beaten and chased to their homes."
The Farmers and Merchants Bank Building, St. Jude's Episcopal Church, and Washington School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Monroe City’s post office has been open since 1860. Another post office, Monroe Court House, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Monroe Court House
1831–1841
Monroe City
1860–today
18301930today
Gone or out of use
Washington Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Monroe City
Saint Judes
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Monroe City’s history
What year was Monroe City founded?
In 1857, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Monroe City’s post office opened in 1831, and the census of 1870 counted 353 people here.
How does Monroe City rank for history?
Monroe City is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #90 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 Monroe City?
Three places: the Washington School (listed 1994), the St. Jude's Episcopal Church (2000) and the Farmers and Merchants Bank Building (2012).
How old are the homes in Monroe City?
19% of Monroe City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (3), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
2025
2023
2017