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History · Patterson

Patterson’s post office opened in 1860

Most of Patterson was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975.

1860first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
2famous people
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Quick answers

How Patterson began

When was Patterson founded?

1860

The Patterson post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Kate (1881), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

2020 census: 749166 years
Founding year: the first Patterson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Patterson’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 Patterson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Patterson’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Patterson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Patterson.

Read it all →

Patterson was named after William Paterson, the proprietor of a local sawmill. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Patterson in 1893.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Patterson, 1860 to 1943

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1860Post officeThe Patterson post office opens
  3. 1881Post officeThe Kate post office opens
  4. 1885Post officeThe Kate post office closes
  5. 20th century
  6. 1910Born hereNaomi Whitehead is born here
  7. 1943Born hereLindsay Thomas is born here
By decade

Patterson, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Patterson City Limit US84EB2017Patterson City Limit US84EBUS Highway 84 - Georgia2013US Highway 84 - GeorgiaUS Highway 84 - Georgia2013US Highway 84 - GeorgiaUS Highway 84 - Georgia2013US Highway 84 - GeorgiaUS Highway 84 - Georgia2013US Highway 84 - GeorgiaGAMap-doton-Patterson2005GAMap-doton-Patterson
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Patterson

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

See all →
N
Naomi WhiteheadOldest living person in the United States · b. 1910
Lindsay ThomasAmerican politician · b. 1943
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Patterson’s post office has been open since 1860. Another post office, Kate, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Patterson
1860–today
Kate
1881–1885
18601940today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Patterson’s history

What year was Patterson founded?

The Patterson post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.