Its Register listings are the William H. Grant House, the Middleport Public Library and the John Downing Jr. House. Its Register listings are the William H. Grant House, the Middleport Public Library and the John Downing Jr. House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1870.
The Middleport post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Salisbury (1825), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,236 in 18702020 census: 2,208172 years
How historic is Middleport?
A−
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Middleport post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Middleport’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Middleport is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Middleport’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 Middleport’s 18.5 sits above most of its state (80% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% 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 (±8.6 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 Middleport’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 3,772 in 1920; 2,208 people lived here in 2020.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Middleport’s Wikipedia page.
Every building
Middleport, building by building, 1888–1916
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.
Middleport was founded during the 1820s, a time of great prosperity and rapidly increasing commerce in Meigs County. Among its earliest industries was a cotton mill, built despite the lack of cotton production in the vicinity. The village was founded as "Sheffield", and throughout its history it has also used the names of "Coalport" and "Salisbury". The name Middleport refers to the city's location on the Ohio River halfway between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Three Middleport buildings, the John Downing Jr. House, the William H. Grant House, and the Middleport Public Library, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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.
The Middleport post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Middleport rank for history?
Middleport is more historic than 80% 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.
What is on the National Register in Middleport?
Three places: the William H. Grant House (listed 1978), the Middleport Public Library (1986) and the John Downing Jr. House (1993).
How old are the homes in Middleport?
42% of Middleport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.6 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1953.
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 (9), Wikidata (3), 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 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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