3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 19 buildings. Below: 14 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: the first New Franklin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives New Franklin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Franklin is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Franklin’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 New Franklin’s 179 sits above most of its state (94% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 21 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% 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 (±7.2 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 New Franklin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Franklin was laid out in 1816. Due to the town's frequent flooding, Franklin was relocated up the hill in 1826, giving rise to the community of New Franklin. Franklin's name is taken from the name of Benjamin Franklin.
The Harris-Chilton-Ruble House, Thomas Hickman House, New Franklin Commercial Historic District, and Rivercene are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The New Franklin post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does New Franklin rank for history?
New Franklin is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns. 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 New Franklin?
Three places: the Harris-Chilton-Ruble House (listed 1980), the New Franklin Commercial Historic District (2013) and the Thomas Hickman House (2006).
How old are the homes in New Franklin?
22% of New Franklin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1967.
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), the Library of Congress (14), 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), 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.
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