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History · Dansville

Dansville dates to 1844, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1870.

1844founded
0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Dansville began

When was Dansville founded?

1844

Dansville dates its founding to 1844 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 443 in 18702020 census: 529182 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓

What stands out about Dansville’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 Dansville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19093 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1970. Watch Dansville change.Old housesHalf of Dansville’s homes were built before 1953.Deep rootsEstablished in 1844: 182 years of Dansville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dansville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Dansville on the map, 1909 to 1970

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

Dansville on the 1909 USGS mapDansville on the 1911 USGS mapDansville on the 1970 USGS map1909Mason 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 Dansville.

The story

How Dansville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dansville.

Read it all →

As far as European settlement is concerned, the area that is now the village of Dansville was originally settled by Samuel Crossman in 1844, who, like many settlers at the time, had come from the state of New York in search of a new life. Samuel Crossman's son, Daniel Crossman, officially platted the village in 1857, naming it after himself and the village's first postmaster, Dr. Daniel T. Weston. The settlement was not actually incorporated as a village until 1867.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Dansville, 1844 to 1983

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1844
    FoundingDansville is established
  3. 1882Born hereClarence W. Avery is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1918Born hereDave Diehl is born here
  7. 1931Born hereSam Williams is born here
  8. 1983Born hereLindsay Bowen is born here
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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People over time

Dansville, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 563

Between 299 and 563 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Dansville

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

See all →
C
Clarence W. AveryDriving force behind Ford Motor Company's movin… · b. 1882
L
Lindsay BowenAmerican basketball player · b. 1983
D
Dave DiehlAmerican football player · b. 1918
Sam WilliamsAmerican football player (defensive lineman) · b. 1931

Questions about Dansville’s history

What year was Dansville founded?

In 1844, according to Wikidata. Dansville’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1870 counted 443 people here.

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 Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.