–Not graded

History · Sullivan

Sullivan dates to 1787, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1930 on, and the census since 1790.

1787founded

0on the National Register

16%homes built before 1940

1old photo or paper

2famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain

Quick answers

How Sullivan began

When was Sullivan founded?

1787

Sullivan dates its founding to 1787 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 220 in 17902020 census: 658239 years

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1828.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sullivan’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.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1820 and 1930, then grew 3-fold.Deep rootsEstablished in 1787: 239 years of Sullivan.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sullivan’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sullivan’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 viewCongregational Church: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

People over time

Sullivan, census by census

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1820 and 1930, then grew 3-fold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Timeline

Sullivan, 1787 to 2000

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

18th century
1787
FoundingSullivan is established
19th century
1818Born hereCharles C. Comstock is born here
1818Born hereDavid H. Mason is born here
1828Post officeThe Sullivan post office opens
1850Post officeThe East Sullivan post office opens
20th century
1915In the archiveCongregational Church
1930On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1959Post officeThe Sullivan post office closes
21st century
2000CensusPopulation peaks at 746

The story

How Sullivan came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sullivan.

Read it all →

Named for General John Sullivan and incorporated on September 27, 1787, Sullivan was formed from parts of Gilsum, Keene, Nelson and Stoddard. Farming became the chief occupation. By 1859, the population was 468. In 1867, Sullivan was the first town in New Hampshire to dedicate a monument to its soldiers lost in the Civil War. The monument sits across from the Sullivan Congregational Church.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Sullivan in 1886

Passages that mention Sullivan, cut from the printed page as they were published.

September 27, 1787, the southeast part of the town was set off, joined with portions of Keene, Stoddard and Packersfield (Nelson), and incorporated into the town of Sullivan. A dispute relative to the boundary line between this town and Stoddard was settled by an act passed June 27, 1797, by which … — **History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire**1886 · page 208Read the page →
Read the text
September 27, 1787, the southeast part of the town was set off, joined with portions of Keene, Stoddard and Packersfield (Nelson), and incorporated into the town of Sullivan. A dispute relative to the boundary line between this town and Stoddard was settled by an act passed June 27, 1797, by which the " curve line of Mason's Patent " was made the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

**History of Cheshire and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire**1886 · page 337Read the page →
Read the text
The southwest part of the town was set off September 27, 1787, combined with portions of Keene, Gilsam and Nelson, and incorporated into the town of Sullivan. PETITION FOR AUTHORITY TO LEVY A SPECIAL TAX TO BUILD A MEETING-HOUSE AND REPAIR ROADS, 1787.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Sullivan, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item

c. 1915Congregational Church

1920s–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

Today3 recent

2018Sullivan Country Store

2006Cheshire-Sullivan

2006Cheshire

On the map

Sullivan on the map, 1930 to 1998

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

1930Lovewell Mountain 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 Sullivan.

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.

Retake this viewCongregational Church, c. 1915

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

Retake this view · +15

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Sullivan

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

See all →

Charles C. ComstockAmerican politician · b. 1818

David H. MasonUnited States Attorney for the District of Mass… · b. 1818

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Sullivan had its own post office from 1828 to 1959.

Sullivan

1828–1959

East Sullivan

1850–today

18201920today

Hamlets and corners on the map

East SullivanEllisville

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Gilsum1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Keene17 historic placesA⁺Nelson1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town StoddardIts storyB

Questions about Sullivan’s history

What year was Sullivan founded?

In 1787, according to Wikidata. Sullivan’s post office opened in 1828, and the first U.S. census counted 220 people here in 1790.

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 (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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