The Wellston post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Rinkelville (1875), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 1,537138 years
How historic is Wellston?
B−
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Wellston post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Wellston’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wellston is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wellston’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 Wellston’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±15.4 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 Wellston’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wellston was incorporated as a city in 1909. Due to "government difficulties" the city was dissolved three years later, becoming an unincorporated place in Central Township, only to be reestablished as a city in 1949. The city was named for Erastus Wells.
During the early 1900s, the Wagner Electric Company, a manufacturer of small motors for appliances and transformers, began development along Plymouth Avenue in Wellston, growing to occupy the entire block and providing 4,500 jobs during World War I. North of the Wagner site, ABEX Corporation built a steel foundry that began operation in 1923.
The Wellston post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Wellston rank for history?
Wellston is more historic than 50% 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.
How old are the homes in Wellston?
35% of Wellston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±15.4 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1955.
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 (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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