1 of Sappington’s places is on the National Register
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #144 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Most of Sappington was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1966. Below: maps from 1933 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sappington is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #144 of 247 in Missouri. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sappington’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 Sappington’s 5.4 sits above most of its state (66% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Sappington’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Sappington was named for a family of pioneer settlers. After Daniel Boone settled in modern-day Missouri, he would often return to Kentucky to tell residents about the land available in Missouri. John and Jemima Sappington sent two sons and a son-in-law to explore what is now Sappington in 1804. They bought 1,920 acres (3 square miles) of land - more than the area of present-day Sappington. The following year, the rest of the Sappington family arrived in the area. The descendants of the family eventually populated the area, and parts of present-day Crestwood and Sunset Hills. The house of Thomas Sappington, one of the original settlers, still exists and is maintained by the City of Crestwood.
Sappington is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #144 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 Sappington?
One place: the Zephaniah Sappington House (listed 1980).
How old are the homes in Sappington?
2% of Sappington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1966.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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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2021
2013
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