Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1955 on, and the census since 1880.
The Eden post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Eden’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Eden.
A post office called Eden was first established in 1850. Eden was named after either the Garden of Eden or after John Eden, an early settler.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Eden, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Vandervoort began preaching the same year. The first marriage ceremony was that uniting Margaret Bell to a Mr. Baldwin, in 1848, and was performed by Rev. M. L. Noble. The town of Eden is settled largely by a fine class of Irish in the south, though Dutchess County New Yorkers, Germans and some New Englanders form important elements in the population. In 1850, there were two pretty thoroughly ventilated log schoolhouses in Eden — now there are seven good school buildings in good repair. The Air Line Railroad crosses the town, and maintains a station called Eden, on the southwest quarter of Section 8. There are some good stone quarries and limekilns in Eden, and on Section 17 is a large spring, in which one branch of the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Vandervoort began preaching the same year. The first marriage ceremony was that uniting Margaret Bell to a Mr. Baldwin, in 1848, and was performed by Rev. M. L. Noble. The town of Eden is settled largely by a fine class of Irish in the south, though Dutchess County New Yorkers, Germans and some New Englanders form important elements in the population. In 1850, there were two pretty thoroughly ventilated log schoolhouses in Eden — now there are seven good school buildings in good repair. The Air Line Railroad crosses the town, and maintains a station called Eden, on the southwest quarter of Section 8. There are some good stone quarries and limekilns in Eden, and on Section 17 is a large spring, in which one branch of the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Northwestern Union, or Air Line Railroad crosses the northeastern part of this town, entering it at the southeast corner of Section 13, and, after a northwesterly course of over three miles, leaves it on the north line of Section 2, crossing into the town of Eden, on its way to the city of Fond du Lac, ten miles distant. Ashford was originally organized as the town of Chili ; but for some reason this name was not satisfactory, and by act of the Legislature, approved January 26, 1854, it was changed to Ashford, which, it is said, was suggested on account of the great quantity of ash timber growing in the town. This name was given by Dr. S. G. Pickett.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Northwestern Union, or Air Line Railroad crosses the northeastern part of this town, entering it at the southeast corner of Section 13, and, after a northwesterly course of over three miles, leaves it on the north line of Section 2, crossing into the town of Eden, on its way to the city of Fond du Lac, ten miles distant. Ashford was originally organized as the town of Chili ; but for some reason this name was not satisfactory, and by act of the Legislature, approved January 26, 1854, it was changed to Ashford, which, it is said, was suggested on account of the great quantity of ash timber growing in the town. This name was given by Dr. S. G. Pickett.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Eden. 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 Eden.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Eden’s page.
Retake this view · +15Grew from 83 people in 1880 to 884 in 2020, more than tenfold.
12 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Eden’s Wikipedia page.
The Eden post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (7), 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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