The community was first settled in 1805 by Samuel McGraw, who came with his wife and family from Vermont. He built a log cabin (no longer standing) and was followed by Jonathan Taylor and a handful of other New Englanders. McGrawville, as the settlement later came to be known, grew up on either side of the road near McGraw's initial homestead, taking advantage of water power on the adjacent Trout Brook to drive an early grist mill (1812) and a sawmill. An ashery was established at an early date to profit from the clearing of new farmlands in the surrounding area, and in 1818, the hamlet acquired its first store. In 1823, a cemetery was established within the boundary of the Main Street Historic District, and, by 1830, ten houses had been built within the small settlement."
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.
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 (2) and Wikipedia. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1905
2009
