Carthage dates to 1834, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns · #23 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it
Most of Carthage was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 147 buildings. Below: maps from 1961 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Carthage’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Carthage is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #23 of 100 in Mississippi. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Carthage’s overall grade.
Mississippi towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Mississippi town has 71.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Carthage’s 308 sits above most of its state (82% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 150 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% 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 (±3.2 points). Two sources give 1834.
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 Carthage’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Carthage was established in 1834, and became the county seat. The Harris family were early settlers, and named the town after their former home of Carthage, Tennessee. A courthouse and jail were built in 1836, and a post office was established the following year. Carthage was incorporated in 1876. A brick courthouse replaced the previous one in 1877, and was replaced again in 1910. The present courthouse was designed by E. L. Malvaney and completed in 1939. The Carthaginian newspaper was established in 1872, and remains in publication today.
In 1834, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Carthage’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1880 counted 285 people here.
How does Carthage rank for history?
Carthage is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #23 of 100 in Mississippi. 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 Carthage?
Three places: the Jordan House (listed 1982), the U.S. Post Office (1983) and the Carthage Historic District (2012).
How old are the homes in Carthage?
4% of Carthage’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (1), 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.
2011
