Delphos dates to 1844, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 87% of U.S. towns · #197 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Its Register listings are the St. John Catholic Church, the Marks-Family House and the Bredeick-Lang House. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1911 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1846.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Delphos’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Delphos is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #197 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Delphos’ overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Delphos’ 4.2 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.1 points). Two sources give 1844.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Delphos’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Delphos had its start in the early 1850s with the merger of neighboring rival towns. These were the towns of Howard (in the northwest), Section 10 (in the east), Bredeick Street (south of Howard) and East Bredeick (named after Father John Otto Bredeick, a priest from Verl, Germany, who had purchased the tract of land in 1840). In 1851, the four towns agreed to form a single town called Delphos. The city's name is derived from the Greek god Delphus.
Passages that mention Delphos, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A standard history of Allen county, Ohio1921 · page 197Read the page →
Read the text
"Delphos has always been one of the best little country towns in Ohio, both in the days of the canal and now that we have railroad advantages," said a local enthusiast ; "the people find what they need in Delphos stores, and they are inclined to spend their money at home." The town established its supremacy in the days of the Erie Canal, when less fortunate towns "wagoned" their supplies from Delphos. The canal still affords water for industrial purposes, and the people are interested in the newspaper discussion of waterways, wondering what it may mean for
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad passes through Marion Township from southeast to northwest; the Cleveland, Delphos & St. Louis Railroad touches the most northwesterly sections on its way from Delphos into Putnam County, and the Toledo, Delphos & Indianapolis Railroad runs due north and south. The postoffices are Delphos, Landeck and Scott’s Crossing.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Mr. Harrison, in his paper on the settlement of Delphos, states that: “About the year 1834, William Scott and William Brady opened the first road from the Auglaize River through the present site of Delphos to the village of Van Wert. It is stated that this road passed through what was then known as the ‘ten-mile woods,’ and that not a single cabin was seen in all that distance. It was a dreary and sickly region
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A standard history of Allen county, Ohio1921 · page 351Read the page →
Read the text
The Star Route United States mail system was introduced in 1882, and like all other advance measures it was later installed in Allen County; it served the community until the coming of rural free delivery. Delphos and Lima are first-class postoffices — serving a population of more than 50,000, and the postmaster usually holds his position as a reward for his political activities. The time came when the postoffice at Fort Amanda was no longer in Allen County; the Lima postoffice was established February 1, 1832, and Lewis Srouf was the first postmaster. In the order
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.
By decade
Delphos, decade by decade
2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1844, according to Wikidata. Delphos’ post office opened in 1846, and the census of 1850 counted 374 people here.
How does Delphos rank for history?
Delphos is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #197 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Delphos?
Three places: the St. John Catholic Church (listed 1980), the Marks-Family House (1982) and the Bredeick-Lang House (1982).
How old are the homes in Delphos?
29% of Delphos’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1958.
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), 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 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.
1908
1910
1911
1911
