Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: old-book passages.
The Sheldon post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sheldon’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Sheldon.
Sheldon was platted in 1881 when the railroad was extended to that point. The city was named for Sheldon A. Wright (or Wight), the owner of the town site. A post office has been in operation at Sheldon since 1881.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Sheldon, cut from the printed page as they were published.
worthy of record as public benefactors: Mayor W. G. Jones and Aldermen F. G. McCutchen, G. B. Beeny, S. M. Hickman and WT. C. Shoemaker — along about 1904 started a reign of civic im¬ provement that has given Sheldon a much wider than local creditable reputation. In addition to the miles of concrete walks and street crossings by the score, this administration purchased for Sheldon a well-equipped chemical fire fighting apparatus, the like of which is perhaps not possessed by any town of Sheldon’s
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The town of Sheldon is in the southeastern part of Drywood township, on the northeast quarter of section 35, half a mile from the Barton county line. It was laid out by Hon. Sheldon A. Wight, of Nevada, who gave the place his Christian name. Mr.
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Sheldon post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.