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History · Farmington

Farmington dates to 1855, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Tharp House. Below: maps from 1918 on and the census since 1890.

1855founded
1on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Farmington began

When was Farmington founded?

1855

Farmington dates its founding to 1855 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 468 in 18902020 census: 92171 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1856.The full story ↓

What stands out about Farmington’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 Farmington are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19185 editions of the USGS map, 1918 to 1992. Watch Farmington change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Farmington’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Farmington on the map, 1918 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Farmington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Farmington on the 1918 USGS mapFarmington on the 1944 USGS mapFarmington on the 1955 USGS mapFarmington on the 1981 USGS mapFarmington on the 1992 USGS map1918Harrington sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Farmington.

The story

How Farmington came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Farmington.

Read it all →

Farmington was originally settled as Flatiron in 1855 when the railroad built a station at a crossroads at this location. A post office was established in 1858. The town was the location of the Farmington Academy from 1868 to 1878. Farmington had 300 people in the 1880s and was home to canning and fruit-evaporating plants. The Tharp House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Farmington formerly had a post office with a ZIP code of 19942; however, the post office closed and the ZIP code was discontinued on January 13, 1996. Farmington is currently served by the Greenwood post office with a ZIP code of 19950.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Farmington, 1803 to 1918

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1803Born hereWilliam Tharp is born here
  3. 1855
    FoundingFarmington is established
  4. 1856Post officeThe Farmington post office opens
  5. 1866Born hereLyman Pierson Powell is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1918On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Farmington, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Tharp House at2016Tharp House atDEMap-doton-Farmington2004DEMap-doton-Farmington
On the National Register

1 historic place in Farmington

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Tharp House
Tharp House
Buildings
Tharp HouseBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Farmington, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 468

Between 75 and 468 people in every census since 1890.

13 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Farmington’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Farmington

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Lyman Pierson PowellAmerican clergyman, college president, and hist… · b. 1866
W
William TharpAmerican politician · b. 1803

Questions about Farmington’s history

What year was Farmington founded?

In 1855, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Farmington’s post office opened in 1856, and the census of 1890 counted 468 people here.

What is on the National Register in Farmington?

One place: the Tharp House (listed 1973).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.