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History · Pharsalia

Pharsalia dates to 1806, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1820.

1806founded
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Pharsalia began

When was Pharsalia founded?

1806

Pharsalia dates its founding to 1806 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 873 in 18202020 census: 516220 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1812.The full story ↓

What stands out about Pharsalia’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.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,261 in 1860; 593 people lived here in 2010.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Pharsalia, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Deep rootsEstablished in 1806: 220 years of Pharsalia.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Pharsalia’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewEast Pharsalia (Village); Plymouth Busi…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Pharsalia, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001850190019502000Peak: 1,261

Peaked at 1,261 in 1860; 593 people lived here in 2010.

20 censuses, 1820–2010.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Pharsalia had its own post office from 1812 to 1919. Another post office, North Pharsalia, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Pharsalia
1812–1919
East Pharsalia
1830–today
North Pharsalia
1856–1943
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
East PharsaliaNorth PharsaliaNorthwest Corners
Gone or out of use
School Number 2schoolSchool Number 4schoolSchool Number 7school
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Pharsalia
CraneEast PharsaliaFrinkKirkNorth West CornersPharsalia Center

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

The story

How Pharsalia came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Pharsalia.

Read it all →

The town received its first settler in 1797. Pharsalia was founded from part of the town of Norwich in 1806 as "Stonington". In 1808, the town was renamed "Pharsalia" in the honor of the Battle of Pharsalus.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Pharsalia, 1806 to 1943

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1806
    FoundingPharsalia is established
  3. 1812Post officeThe Pharsalia post office opens
  4. 1825Born hereGilbert De La Matyr is born here
  5. 1830Post officeThe East Pharsalia post office opens
  6. 1856Post officeThe North Pharsalia post office opens
  7. 1860CensusPopulation peaks at 1,261
  8. 1875In the archiveEast Pharsalia (Village); Plymouth Business Notices; Plymouth (Village); North Pharsalia …
  9. 20th century
  10. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1919Post officeThe Pharsalia post office closes
  12. 1943Post officeThe North Pharsalia post office closes
By decade

Pharsalia, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
East Pharsalia (Village); Plymouth Business Notices; Plymouth (Village); North Pharsalia (Village); Preston (Village)1875East Pharsalia (Village); Plymouth Business Notices; …
Today11 recent
FLT M23 8.8 mi - Register near Stewart Rd2010FLT M23 8.8 mi - Register near Stewart RdFLT M23 8.7 mi - Bivouac next to Stewart Rd, no water, no fire ring2010FLT M23 8.7 mi - Bivouac next to Stewart Rd, no water…FLT M23 5.44 mi - Bivouac at Lower Pond2010FLT M23 5.44 mi - Bivouac at Lower PondFLT M23 5.42 mi - Bridge over outlet of Lower Pond, 18' long, 2x6x38 deck boards, 2 pairs 2x6 stringers,2x12 sills on s…2010FLT M23 5.42 mi - Bridge over outlet of Lower Pond, 1…FLT M23 5.4 mi - Kiosk about Pharsalia WMA2010FLT M23 5.4 mi - Kiosk about Pharsalia WMAFLT M23 5.1 mi - Pharsalia CCC Camp remnants2010FLT M23 5.1 mi - Pharsalia CCC Camp remnantsFLT M23 4.2 mi - Bivouac SE corner of Jackson Pond2010FLT M23 4.2 mi - Bivouac SE corner of Jackson PondFLT M23 3.4 mi - Register S of Johnson St2010FLT M23 3.4 mi - Register S of Johnson StFLT M23 2.3 mi - Puncheon, 19' long, 2x10x24 deck, telephone pole stringers, 6x6 sills2010FLT M23 2.3 mi - Puncheon, 19' long, 2x10x24 deck, te…FLT M23 2.1 mi - Register S of Chuch Hill Rd2010FLT M23 2.1 mi - Register S of Chuch Hill RdFLT M23 11.0 mi - Second CCC cistern S of Chenango 5 Rd2010FLT M23 11.0 mi - Second CCC cistern S of Chenango 5 …
On the map

Pharsalia on the map, 1904 to 1943

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

Pharsalia on the 1904 USGS mapPharsalia on the 1943 USGS map1904Pitcher 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 Pharsalia.

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.

East Pharsalia (Village); Plymouth Business Notices; Plymouth (Village); North Pharsalia (Village); Preston (Village)
Retake this viewEast Pharsalia (Village); Plymouth Business Notices; Plymouth (Village); North Pharsalia (Village); Preston (Village), 1875

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

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

McDonough1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOtselic4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPlymouthIts storyB−PitcherIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Pharsalia’s history

What year was Pharsalia founded?

In 1806, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Pharsalia’s post office opened in 1812, and the census of 1820 counted 873 people here.

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 (12), 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) 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.