The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The city takes its name from the Sisters of Loretto, a Catholic congregation founded in 1812 at nearby St. Mary. The sisters themselves were named for Loreto in Italy, the site of the Basilica della Santa Casa which supposedly contains the original home of the Virgin Mary.
The sisters began a school at the site to educate the frontier children. By 1833, the community was large enough for its own post office. It was formally incorporated in 1866.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Start Loretto’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Loretto’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Loretto, decade by decade
2000
Nothing in Loretto is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Loretto has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Loretto Motherhouse in Loretto, 1.5 miles away.
Loretto and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.