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History · Carlisle Township

Carlisle Township dates to 1879, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1913 on.

1879founded
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Carlisle Township began

When was Carlisle Township founded?

1879

Carlisle Township dates its founding to 1879 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1880.

2020 census: 178147 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1880.The full story ↓

What stands out about Carlisle Township’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 Carlisle Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Carlisle Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Carlisle Township’s homes were built before 1943.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Carlisle Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Carlisle
1880–1960
French
1884–1906
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
CarlisleFrench
Gone or out of use
Carlisle Post Officepost officeFrench Post Officepost officeSchool Number 221schoolSchool Number 226schoolSchool Number 86school

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Carlisle Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Carlisle Township.

Read it all →

Carlisle was platted in 1879. A post office was established at Carlisle in 1880, and was discontinued in 1960.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Carlisle Township, 1879 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879
    FoundingCarlisle Township is established
  3. 1880Post officeThe Carlisle post office opens
  4. 1884Post officeThe French post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1906Post officeThe French post office closes
  7. 1913On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1960Post officeThe Carlisle post office closes
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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On the map

Carlisle Township on the map, 1913 to 1966

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

Carlisle Township on the 1913 USGS mapCarlisle Township on the 1966 USGS map1913Fergus Falls 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 Carlisle Township.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Andrea TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFergus Falls TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOscar TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFergus Falls13 historic placesB+Orwell TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAkron TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Carlisle Township’s history

What year was Carlisle Township founded?

In 1879, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Carlisle Township’s post office opened in 1880.

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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.