Madill dates to 1900, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #75 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Marshall County Courthouse, the Worth Hotel and the United States Post Office Madill. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1910.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Madill is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #75 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Madill’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 Madill’s 7.5 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points). Two sources give 1900.
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 →
What stands out about Madill’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Madill. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Tishomingo sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Madill.
Every building
Madill, building by building, 1902–1916
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.
Madill was founded in 1900 by William N. Taliaferro, who had settled in 1886, in what was then known as Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation, in the Indian Territory. Taliaferro owned a 600 acres (240 ha) farm and operated some ranches in the nearby town of Oakland, 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Madill. Oakland had been the area's largest town, but the St. Louis, San Francisco and New Orleans Railroad building through the town caused Madill to grow and Oakland, two miles northwest, to decline. A post office was established at Madill on April 29, 1901, The city was chartered on September 12, 1902. The first public school opened in a four-room frame structure built on the south side of the town in 1903.
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 1900, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Madill’s post office opened in 1901, and the census of 1910 counted 1,564 people here.
How does Madill rank for history?
Madill is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #75 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 Madill?
Three places: the Marshall County Courthouse (listed 1984), the Worth Hotel (1985) and the United States Post Office Madill (2009).
How old are the homes in Madill?
11% of Madill’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1975.
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.
1902
2016
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