Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: old-book passages.
The Malta post office opened in 1829, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Malta’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Malta.
Malta was laid out in 1816 and named by an early settler who had visited the island of Malta during his time as a sailor. The village developed throughout the 19th century due to its strategic location on the Muskingum River, which became a significant transportation and trade route after the construction of a system of locks and dams between 1836 and 1841.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Passages that mention Malta, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Railroad was incorporated January 23, 1872, under a general law of the State (1852), for the purpose of constructing a railroad from Malta to or near the village of Ferrara in Perry County, “the eastern terminus being on the Muskingum River, and the western terminus on the line of the Atlantic &
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Railroad was incorporated January 28, 1872, under a general law of the State (1852), for the purpose of constructing a railroad from Malta to or near the village of Ferrara in Perry County, “the eastern terminus being on the Muskingum River, and the western terminus on the line of the Atlantic &
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
down Center Street avoiding stumps, brush-heaps and fallen timber, to the river, in view of the unpretending and peaceful village of Malta, then countermarched to the square, thence down Main Street to the bowery, where those participating in the festivities of the day arranged themselves on each side
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
down Center Street avoiding stumps, brush-heaps and fallen timber, to the river, in view of the unpretending and | peaceful village of Malta, then counter- I marched to the square, thence down I Main Street to the bowery, where those participating in the festivities of the day arranged themselves on each side
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.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Malta’s post office has been open since 1829.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Malta post office opened in 1829, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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