The Glouster post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Allens Store (1876) and Welch (1887), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,155 in 19002020 census: 1,659139 years
How historic is Glouster?
B−
More historic than 54% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Glouster post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Glouster’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Glouster is more historic than 54% 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 Glouster’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 Glouster’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 B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.5 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 Glouster’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Glouster was originally known as Sedalia, but the name was changed in 1886 to Glouster, a variant spelling of Gloucester, England. A post office has been in operation under the name Glouster since 1887.
The area grew rapidly in the late 19th century due to its location along the Sunday Creek coal seam, part of the broader Hocking Valley coal region. Mining, brickmaking, and railroads supported the village’s economy through the early 20th century. Glouster was once home to the Wassall Brick Company, which operated from approximately 1895 to 1932 and provided structural materials for projects throughout southeast Ohio.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Glouster. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1961Corning sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Glouster.
Every building
Glouster, building by building, 1896–1912
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.
The Glouster post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Glouster rank for history?
Glouster is more historic than 54% 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 Glouster?
48% of Glouster’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.5 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1943.
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 (21), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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