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History · South Ashburnham

South Ashburnham’s post office opened in 1890, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1887 on.

1890first post office
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From South Ashburnham’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How South Ashburnham began

When was South Ashburnham founded?

1890

The South Ashburnham post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,136136 years
Founding year: the first South Ashburnham post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about South Ashburnham’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18877 editions of the USGS map, 1887 to 1988. Watch South Ashburnham change.Old housesHalf of South Ashburnham’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start South Ashburnham’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAshburnham Branch in South Ashburnham p…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

South Ashburnham on the map, 1887 to 1988

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

South Ashburnham on the 1887 USGS mapSouth Ashburnham on the 1893 USGS mapSouth Ashburnham on the 1935 USGS mapSouth Ashburnham on the 1946 USGS mapSouth Ashburnham on the 1954 USGS mapSouth Ashburnham on the 1970 USGS mapSouth Ashburnham on the 1988 USGS map1887Fitchburg 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 South Ashburnham.

The story so far

South Ashburnham, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of South Ashburnham yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

South Ashburnham is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Ashburnham in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, South Ashburnham had a population of 1,136.

Its first post office opened in 1890. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,062 to 1,136 (+7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

South Ashburnham, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s1 item
Ashburnham Branch in South Ashburnham postcardc. 1907Ashburnham Branch in South Ashburnham postcardPostcard
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Ashburnham Branch bridge in South Ashburnham, July 20212021Ashburnham Branch bridge in South Ashburnham, July 20…Ashburnham Branch ROW in South Ashburnham, July 20212021Ashburnham Branch ROW in South Ashburnham, July 2021South Main Street2012South Main StreetPlayground2012Playground
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Ashburnham Branch in South Ashburnham postcard
Retake this viewAshburnham Branch in South Ashburnham postcard, c. 1907

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on South Ashburnham’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to South Ashburnham

Nobody well known was born in South Ashburnham itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Henrietta Swan LeavittAmerican astronomer and human calculator · b. 1868
Luther BurbankAmerican botanist and horticulturist · b. 1849
R. A. SalvatoreAmerican writer · b. 1959
Lysander SpoonerAmerican political philosopher, essayist, pamph… · b. 1808
A
AmerieAmerican singer, songwriter, dancer and actor · b. 1980
Johnny AppleseedAmerican nurseryman and missionary · b. 1774
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Ashburnham3 historic placesAGardner13 historic placesA+

Questions about South Ashburnham’s history

What year was South Ashburnham founded?

The South Ashburnham post office opened in 1890, 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 →
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 (5) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.