More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #815 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Powell was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Powell’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Powell is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #815 of 993 in Ohio. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Powell’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 Powell’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1801.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size.
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 Powell’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Present-day Powell is located on land that was once a vast wilderness sparsely populated by Native Americans including the Huron, Wyandot, Miami, Delaware, Ottawa, Shawnee, Mingo, and Erie people. The region was surveyed by French Canadian and European explorers beginning in the 17th century; with Great Britain, France, and the Iroquois League claiming ownership of the land during periods of the 1600s and 1700s. By the 18th century, the land became part of that what is historically known as Ohio Country. During the American Revolution, the states of Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia claimed portions of the land during western expansion of the United States. The Land Ordinance of 1785 opened up the region to settlement by American pioneers, including veterans of the American Revolutionary War who had received bounty land warrants as compensation for their services. In 178…
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 1801, according to Wikidata. Powell’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 131 people here.
How does Powell rank for history?
Powell is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #815 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 Powell?
2% of Powell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 2001.
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 (4), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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