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History · Grantsville

Grantsville dates to 1864, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Casselman's Bridge, National Road, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 2 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1899 on, and the census since 1880.

1864founded
3on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Grantsville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Grantsville began

When was Grantsville founded?

1864

Grantsville dates its founding to 1864 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 220 in 18802020 census: 968162 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Grantsville’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 18996 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1994. Watch Grantsville change.A National Historic Landmark3 places on the National Register, including Casselman's Bridge, National Road, a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grantsville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grantsville’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 viewCasselman River Bridge on the National …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Grantsville on the map, 1899 to 1994

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

Grantsville on the 1899 USGS mapGrantsville on the 1904 USGS mapGrantsville on the 1946 USGS mapGrantsville on the 1974 USGS mapGrantsville on the 1981 USGS mapGrantsville on the 1994 USGS map1899Grantsville 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 Grantsville.

On the National Register

3 historic places in Grantsville

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmark
1
Casselman's Bridge, National Road
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Casselman's Bridge, National Road
Fuller-Baker Log HouseStanton's MillCasselman's Bridge, National Road★
BuildingsDistrictsStructures★ landmark
★ Landmark
Casselman's Bridge, National RoadStructure
Fuller-Baker Log HouseBuilding
Stanton's MillDistrict

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

The story

How Grantsville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Grantsville.

Read it all →

Grantsville, half a mile west of the Casselman River, began as a small Amish and Mennonite settlement, called Tomlinson's or Little Crossing, along Braddock Road, which wound westward from Cumberland over Negro Mountain. Later a new village flourished as a stop along the nearby National Road, U.S. Route 40. From 1818, the national road carried hundreds of thousands of pioneers and settlers in stagecoaches and covered wagons. In the 1800s, an area just outside Grantsville (once known as Little Crossing but now marked by the intersection of Route 40 and River Road) was a major stop on the old National Pike. There is a "dip" in the road that travelers will not miss when they pass through Little Crossing on Route 40.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Grantsville, 1863 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1863Born hereLydia Beachy is born here
  3. 1864
    FoundingGrantsville is established
  4. 1899On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1911Born hereAlta Schrock is born here
  7. 1948Born hereGeorge C. Edwards is born here
  8. 1964LandmarkCasselman's Bridge, National Road named a National Historic Landmark
  9. 1980In the archiveCasselman River Bridge on the National Road was the longest single-span stone arch in the…
By decade

Grantsville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1980s1 item
Casselman River Bridge on the National Road was the longest single-span stone arch in the United States when the bridge…1980Casselman River Bridge on the National Road was the l…
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
Today11 recent
Grantsville, Maryland2014Grantsville, MarylandGrantsville, Maryland2014Grantsville, MarylandGrantsville, Maryland2014Grantsville, MarylandGrantsville, Maryland2014Grantsville, MarylandGrantsville, Maryland2014Grantsville, MarylandGrantsville, Maryland2014Grantsville, MarylandUntitled photo2014Untitled photo3, Grantsville, MD, USA - panoramio (3)20143, Grantsville, MD, USA - panoramio (3)3, Grantsville, MD, USA - panoramio (1)20143, Grantsville, MD, USA - panoramio (1)Hilltop Fruit Market2008Hilltop Fruit MarketGrantsville Community Museum2005Grantsville Community Museum
Every building

Grantsville, building by building, 1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Grantsville fire insurance map, 1922, sheet 11922Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

Casselman River Bridge on the National Road was the longest single-span stone arch in the United States when the bridge…
Retake this viewCasselman River Bridge on the National Road was the longest single-span stone arch in the United States when the bridge…, 1980

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Grantsville, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020968

Grew from 220 people in 1880 to 968 in 2020, 4 times over.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Grantsville

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

See all →
George C. EdwardsAmerican politician · b. 1948
L
Lydia BeachyAmerican quilter · b. 1863
A
Alta SchrockAmerican biology professor and community activi… · b. 1911

Questions about Grantsville’s history

What year was Grantsville founded?

In 1864, according to Wikidata. the census of 1880 counted 220 people here.

What is on the National Register in Grantsville?

Three places: the Casselman's Bridge, National Road (listed 1966), the Fuller-Baker Log House (1971) and the Stanton's Mill (1983).

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 (11), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.