The story
Read it all →How Beardsley came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Beardsley.
Beardsley was platted in 1880 by W. W. Beardsley, and named for him.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Beardsley
Beardsley dates to 1880, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1900.
1880founded
0on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Beardsley began
When was Beardsley founded?
1880
Beardsley dates its founding to 1880 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.
First census: 449 in 19002020 census: 216146 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1881.The full story ↓
What stands out about Beardsley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Beardsley’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Beardsley’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Beardsley, census by census
Peaked at 537 in 1940; 216 people lived here in 2020.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Beardsley’s Wikipedia page.
Timeline
Beardsley, 1880 to 1940
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1880FoundingBeardsley is established
- 1881Post officeThe Beardsley post office opens
- 20th century
- 1916
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 537
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.
Add from your albumOn the map
Beardsley on the map, 1916 to 1974
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Beardsley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916Beardsley sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Beardsley.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Beardsley
Nobody well known was born in Beardsley itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
B
Bill DavisAmerican baseball player · b. 1942
C
Charles A. BergAmerican politician · b. 1927Questions about Beardsley’s history
What year was Beardsley founded?
In 1880, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Beardsley’s post office opened in 1881, and the census of 1900 counted 449 people here.
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 Wikipedia, 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.