Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1835.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives East Palestine’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Palestine is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #366 of 993 in Ohio. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Palestine’s 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 East Palestine’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Ohio 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 A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.9 points). Two sources give 1828.
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 East Palestine’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Palestine. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1907Columbiana sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of East Palestine.
Every building
East Palestine, building by building, 1896–1915
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
East Palestine was platted in 1828 by Thomas McCalla and William Grate, initially known as Mechanicsburg. In 1833, it was renamed after the region of Palestine in West Asia. The name was changed as part of a religious nomenclature in the area, including communities such as Enon Valley, Medina, New Galilee and Salem. However, Palestine, Ohio, was already an incorporated community in the western part of the state, so the town was incorporated as East Palestine in 1875.
Passages that mention East Palestine, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Columbiana county, Ohio1879 · page 201Read the page →
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small meeting-house near Father Burt’s home. In this worship was maintained until 1867, when the appointment was given up and the interest transferred to the village of East Palestine. The meeting-house has been demolished. The charge was changed frequently from one circuit to another, but, in the main, has been served by the ministers before named.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Columbiana County, Ohio1905 · page 334Read the page →
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The village of Unity was platted in 1810 by John Augustine. Before railroads diverted the trade to East Palestine and New Waterford, it was a place of greater importance than during later years. Robert Veon had one of the pioneer stores, and the following were among the early merchants: Harrison Powers.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Columbiana County, Ohio1905 · page 481Read the page →
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to 1900 never failed to return each year to vote at the State election. Since then he has voted in Dalton. He has laid out several ad-- ditions to the town of East Palestine, and has assisted a number of persons to secure homes on easy terms. For several years he was interested in the State Line Sewer Pipe Company, later the National Fire Proofing1 Company,
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.
Timeline
East Palestine, 1828 to 1993
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
East Palestine’s post office has been open since 1835.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Clearwood CourtWheat Hill Estates
Gone or out of use
North Avenue Schoolschool
1cemetery inside East Palestine
Saint Marys
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about East Palestine’s history
What year was East Palestine founded?
In 1828, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. East Palestine’s post office opened in 1835, and the census of 1880 counted 1,047 people here.
How does East Palestine rank for history?
East Palestine is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #366 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.
How old are the homes in East Palestine?
44% of East Palestine’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.9 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1952.
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, 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
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