The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Napoleon was laid out in 1836, and most likely was named after Napoleon Bonaparte. A post office has been in operation at Napoleon since 1858.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Be one of the first
Start Napoleon’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Napoleon’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10By decade
Napoleon, decade by decade
Before
2000
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.
📷 Add from your albumToday10 photos
CommonsL&C Napoleon P53003002012
CommonsL&C Napoleon P53002992012
CommonsL&C Napoleon P53002982012
CommonsL&C Napoleon P53002972012
CommonsL&C Napoleon P53002962012
CommonsL&C Napoleon P53002952012
CommonsL&C Napoleon P53002932012
CommonsChristening of Vessels2000
CommonsChristening of Vessels2000
CommonsChristening of Vessels2000National Register of Historic Places
Nothing in Napoleon is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Napoleon has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Fort Osage in Sibley, 6.9 miles away.
Napoleon and the nearest listed places
Dashed line = Napoleon. Tap a dot.
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. Fort Osage’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Napoleon?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Napoleon’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old placeNational 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.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (10). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.