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History · Harrellsville

Harrellsville dates to 1827, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 69 buildings. Below: maps from 1908 on and the census since 1890.

1827founded

1on the National Register

44%homes built before 1940

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Quick answers

How Harrellsville began

When was Harrellsville founded?

1827

Harrellsville dates its founding to 1827 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 110 in 18902020 census: 85199 years

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1827.The full story ↓

What stands out about Harrellsville’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 Harrellsville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Harrellsville Historic District takes in 69 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 171 in 1960; 85 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Harrellsville’s homes were built before 1946.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Harrellsville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Harrellsville’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 National Register

1 listing protects 69 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

1995

Harrellsville Historic District

Districts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1

Queen Anne1

Bungalow/Craftsman1

All 1 listings

Harrellsville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1995

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

People over time

Harrellsville, census by census

Peaked at 171 in 1960; 85 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Harrellsville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Harrellsville.

Read it all →

The town of Harrellsville was founded in the 1820s by the Harrell families. A post office was established in 1827, and Abner Harrell became the postmaster in 1833. Originally known as Bethel, the town was changed to Harrellsville in the 1860s out of respect for Abner Harrell. Originally, Abner Harrell's house, one of the largest buildings in the town, remained standing until circa 2000, when the land it stood on was purchased and the house torn down.

The Harrellsville Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Harrellsville, 1827 to 1960

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

19th century
1827
FoundingHarrellsville is established
1827Post officeThe Bethel post office opens
1847Post officeThe Bethel post office closes
1847Post officeThe Harrellsville post office opens
20th century
1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1960CensusPopulation peaks at 171

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.

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On the map

Harrellsville on the map, 1908 to 1982

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

1908Winton 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 Harrellsville.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Harrellsville’s post office has been open since 1847. Another post office, Bethel, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bethel

1827–1847

Harrellsville

1847–today

18201920today

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

Questions about Harrellsville’s history

What year was Harrellsville founded?

In 1827, according to Wikidata. Harrellsville’s post office opened in 1827, and the census of 1890 counted 110 people here.

What is on the National Register in Harrellsville?

One place: the Harrellsville Historic District (listed 1995).

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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.

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