Stillwater dates to 1884, and 19 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 41% of U.S. towns · #68 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Most of Stillwater was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1889.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Stillwater’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Stillwater is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #68 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Stillwater’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 Stillwater’s 6.7 sits near the middle of its state (56% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 33 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 (±1.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1884.
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 Stillwater’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The north-central region of Oklahoma became part of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. In 1832, author and traveler Washington Irving provided the first recorded description of the area around Stillwater in his book A Tour on the Prairies. He wrote of "a glorious prairie spreading out beneath the golden beams of an autumnal sun. The deep and frequent traces of buffalo, showed it to be a one of their favorite grazing grounds."
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.
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.
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.
Stillwater’s post office has been open since 1889.
Gone or out of use
Stillwater Oil Fieldoilfield
1cemetery inside Stillwater
Fairlawn
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Stillwater’s history
What year was Stillwater founded?
In 1884, according to Wikidata. Stillwater’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1890 counted 480 people here.
How does Stillwater rank for history?
Stillwater is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #68 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 Stillwater?
19 listings: 18 buildings, among them the Old Central, Oklahoma State University (listed 1971, the first), and 1 site. 33 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Stillwater?
4% of Stillwater’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1984.
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 (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (19), 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.
