Bluff’s post office opened in 1880, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
Most of Bluff was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 11 buildings.
How Bluff began
When was Bluff founded?
The Bluff post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.
7 listings protect 23 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Architectural styles listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Questions about Bluff’s history
What year was Bluff founded?
The Bluff post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Bluff?
7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Jens Nielson House (listed 1982, the first), and 1 historic district, the Bluff Historic District, with 11 contributing buildings. 23 historic buildings in all.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Where this page comes from
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.