Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 69% of U.S. towns · #433 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Morgan Mansion, the Clutts House and the Harvey Wells House. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1880.
Wellston dates its founding to 1873 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.
More historic than 69% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wellston is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #433 of 993 in Ohio. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
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 Wellston’s 5.5 sits above most of its state (66% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1888Sheet 1 of 5Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Peaked at 8,045 in 1900; 5,412 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Wellston’s Wikipedia page.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wellston. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Wellston.
From Wikipedia’s history of Wellston.
Wellston was laid out and founded in 1873 on land owned by Harvey Wells. Wells constructed a blast furnace in 1874, and the town was incorporated in 1876. Wellston flourished for several years on the furnace and local mining industry, but most of the resources have now been depleted.
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.
BuiltClutts House is built
Born hereTimothy Sylvester Hogan is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born herePete Abele is born here
Born hereFred Olen Ray is born here
Born hereJeff Montgomery is born here
In the archiveNew Jersey and 7th AvenueOne decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Wellston’s post office has been open since 1874. Another post office, Milton Furnace, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1873, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Wellston’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1880 counted 952 people here.
Wellston is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #433 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.
Three places: the Morgan Mansion (listed 1979), the Clutts House (1980) and the Harvey Wells House (2009).
27% of Wellston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.3 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1974.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), 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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c. 1998
