History · Luray

Luray’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Luray. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Luray was platted in 1837. The source of the name Luray is obscure; according to the State Historical Society of Missouri, most likely it is Native American in origin. A post office called Luray has been in operation since 1841. After 170 years in operation, the Luray office closed on November 4, 2011.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Luray’s history is told.

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Luray, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Luray is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Luray has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Clark County Courthouse in Kahoka, 8.3 miles away.

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Clark County Courthouse’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Luray?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Luray’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01