The story
Read it all →How Garfield came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Garfield.
Garfield was platted in 1883. A post office has been in operation at Garfield since 1887.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Garfield
Garfield dates to 1883, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
Most of Garfield was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Its Register listings are the Garfield Elementary School and the Markey House. Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1890.
1883founded
2on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Quick answers
How Garfield began
When was Garfield founded?
1883
Garfield dates its founding to 1883 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.
First census: 112 in 18902020 census: 593143 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1881.The full story ↓
What stands out about Garfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Garfield are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1890 and 1960, then grew more than tenfold.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Garfield, and 1 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Garfield’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Garfield’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Garfield, census by census
Lost half of its people between 1890 and 1960, then grew more than tenfold.
10 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Garfield’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and old corners
Garfield’s post office has been open since 1887. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Blanset
Crowell
Garfield
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Hill Top
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Timeline
Garfield, 1881 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1881Post officeThe Blanset post office opens
- 1881Post officeThe Blanset post office closes
- 1881Post officeThe Crowell post office opens
- 1883FoundingGarfield is established
- 1887Post officeThe Crowell post office closes
- 1887Post officeThe Garfield post office opens
- 20th century
- 1908Born hereClyde Taylor Ellis is born here
- 1958
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 21st century
- 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 593
By decade
Garfield, decade by decade
2013
2011
2005On the map
Garfield on the map, 1958 to 1976
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Garfield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1958Garfield sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Garfield.
On the National Register
2 historic places in Garfield
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1988
Markey House
Buildings
All 2 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Questions about Garfield’s history
What year was Garfield founded?
In 1883, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Garfield’s post office opened in 1881, and the census of 1890 counted 112 people here.
What is on the National Register in Garfield?
Two places: the Garfield Elementary School (listed 1996) and the Markey House (1988).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
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 Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.