Claremore’s post office opened in 1874, and 8 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 49% of U.S. towns · #53 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Most of Claremore was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. 8 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 26 buildings. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: the first Claremore post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1883.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Claremore’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Claremore is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #53 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Claremore’s overall grade.
Oklahoma towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oklahoma town has 5.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Claremore’s 16.9 sits above most of its state (76% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 34 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% 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 (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1883 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Claremore’s past
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.
Around 1802, bands of Osage Indians settled in this area of what is now northeastern Oklahoma. Black Dog was the chief of a band that settled at Pasona, where Claremore later developed. He shared power with chiefs Clermont (or Claremore), and Pawhuska. Clermont, named by French traders, settled with his band in a village known as Pasuga, meaning "Big Cedar", which was located on an ancient platform earthwork mound in this area.
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 Claremore post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1883.
How does Claremore rank for history?
Claremore is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #53 of 131 in Oklahoma. 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 Claremore?
8 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Eastern University Preparatory School (listed 1982, the first), and 1 historic district, the Downtown Claremore Historic District, with 26 contributing buildings. 34 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Claremore?
5% of Claremore’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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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