The story
Read it all →How Hartsville came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Hartsville.
The early lumber industry gradually converted to raising dairy cows as land was cleared.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Hartsville
Hartsville dates to 1810, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1965 on, and the census since 1850.
1810founded
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Quick answers
How Hartsville began
When was Hartsville founded?
1810
Hartsville dates its founding to 1810 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.
First census: 854 in 18502020 census: 558216 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓
What stands out about Hartsville’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 Hartsville’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hartsville’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
Hartsville, census by census
Peaked at 1,154 in 1860; 561 people lived here in 2020.
18 censuses, 1850–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hartsville’s Wikipedia page.
Timeline
Hartsville, 1810 to 1965
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1810FoundingHartsville is established
- 1853
Born hereMilo M. Acker is born here - 1860CensusPopulation peaks at 1,154
- 1873
In the archiveHartsville Business Notices.; Hartsville (Township); Hartsville Center (Village) - 20th century
- 1965
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
From the old history books
What they wrote about Hartsville, 1879–1911
Passages that mention Hartsville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Steuben county, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1879Read the page →
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The town of Hornellsville was formed from Canisteo, April 1, 1820, and embraced, in addition to the present territory, the town of Hartsville and part of the town of Premont. Hartsville was taken oflT in 1844, and part of Fremont in 1854.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Steuben county, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1879 · page 311Read the page →
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The town of Hartsville was formed from the southern part of Hornellsville, comprised in township No. 3, on Feb. 7, 1844, and named Hartsville, in honor of Charles N.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Steuben County, New York, and its people1911 · page 193Read the page →
Read the text
Methodist Episcopal churches were founded in the town of Troupsburg in 1819 ; in the towns of Greenwood and Hartsville by Rev. Asa Orcutt in 1825 ; in the same year in the towns of Thurston and Tuscarora ; in the towns of Addison and Campbell, 1827 ; in the town of Fremont, 1828 ; in the town of Hornellsville, now citv of Hornell, 1830 ; in West Union, 1831 ; in the town of Caton, 1833, and in Bradford, 1834.
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
Hartsville, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2022
2022On the map
Hartsville on the map, 1965 to 1978
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hartsville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1965Greenwood sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hartsville.
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 viewHartsville Business Notices.; Hartsville (Township); Hartsville Center (Village), 1873
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hartsville’s page.
Retake this view · +15Places that used to be
Places now gone and burying grounds
Gone or out of use
Call Hill SchoolschoolEdgewood SchoolschoolEells SchoolschoolFall Creek SchoolschoolSlate Creek SchoolschoolWhite Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hartsville
Call HillHartsville CenterHartsville Hill
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.
Questions about Hartsville’s history
What year was Hartsville founded?
In 1810, according to Wikidata. the census of 1850 counted 854 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 Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.