The story
Read it all →How Hartford came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Hartford.
Hartford was laid out in 1858. Some of its founders were natives of Hartford, Connecticut, hence the name.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Cptproton79 · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
History · Hartford
Hartford’s post office opened in 1857, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940
Its Register listing is the Hartford Collegiate Institute. Below: maps from 1885 on and the census since 1890.
1857first post office
1on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Quick answers
How Hartford began
When was Hartford founded?
1857
The Hartford post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 441 in 18902020 census: 355169 years
Founding year: the first Hartford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Hartford’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 Hartford are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18855 editions of the USGS map, 1885 to 1990. Watch Hartford change.Boom and bustPeaked at 589 in 1910; 355 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Hartford’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Hartford’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hartford’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Hartford on the map, 1885 to 1990
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hartford. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1885Burlington sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hartford.
People over time
Hartford, census by census
Peaked at 589 in 1910; 355 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hartford’s Wikipedia page.
Timeline
Hartford, 1857 to 1910
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1857Post officeThe Hartford post office opens
- 1885
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1895Born hereFran Welch is born here
- 20th century
- 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 589
By decade
Hartford, decade by decade
Today2 recent
2021
2004On the National Register
1 historic place in Hartford
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
1972
Hartford Collegiate Institute
Buildings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Questions about Hartford’s history
What year was Hartford founded?
The Hartford post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Hartford?
One place: the Hartford Collegiate Institute (listed 1972).
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 (2), Wikidata (1), 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.