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History · Pisgah

Pisgah dates to 1899, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1971 on and the census since 1910.

1899founded
0on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Pisgah began

When was Pisgah founded?

1899

Pisgah dates its founding to 1899 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 212 in 19102020 census: 249127 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1872.The full story ↓

What stands out about Pisgah’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 Pisgah are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Pisgah’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 421 in 1920; 249 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Pisgah’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pisgah’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 Pisgah came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Pisgah.

Read it all →

Pisgah was laid out in 1899. The town's name is a biblical one chosen by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), who established a temporary settlement in central Iowa near a hill they christened Mount Pisgah. A post office called Pisgah has been in operation since 1902.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Pisgah, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 421

Peaked at 421 in 1920; 249 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Timeline

Pisgah, 1872 to 1971

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872Post officeThe Mount Pisgah post office opens
  3. 1899
    FoundingPisgah is established
  4. 20th century
  5. 1901Post officeThe Mount Pisgah post office closes
  6. 1902Post officeThe Pisgah post office opens
  7. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 421
  8. 1928Born hereLoren Babe is born here
  9. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Pisgah, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Pisgah, IA2018Pisgah, IA
On the map

Pisgah on the map, 1971 to 1980

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

Pisgah on the 1971 USGS mapPisgah on the 1980 USGS map1971Pisgah sheet · 1:24,000

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Pisgah’s post office has been open since 1902. Another post office, Mount Pisgah, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Mount Pisgah
1872–1901
Pisgah
1902–today
18701950today

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

Questions about Pisgah’s history

What year was Pisgah founded?

In 1899, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Pisgah’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1910 counted 212 people here.

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 (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.