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History · Pitcairn

Pitcairn dates to 1836, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1913 on and the census since 1840.

1836founded
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Pitcairn began

When was Pitcairn founded?

1836

Pitcairn dates its founding to 1836 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 396 in 18402020 census: 790190 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1840.The full story ↓

What stands out about Pitcairn’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 Pitcairn are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1890 and 1910, then more than doubled.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Pitcairn, and 5 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19133 editions of the USGS map, 1913 to 1982. Watch Pitcairn change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Pitcairn’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Pitcairn, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018501900195020001,108 in 1890Low: 316

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1890 and 1910, then more than doubled.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Pitcairn had its own post office from 1840 to 1902. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Pitcairn
1840–1902
East Pitcairn
1850–1905
Jayville
1889–1905
Kalurah
1904–1918
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BackusEast PitcairnGeers CornersJayvilleKalurah
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Pitcairn
East PitcairnGarrison

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

The story

How Pitcairn came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Pitcairn.

Read it all →

Settlers began to arrive in the area circa 1825 near Portaferry Lake.

Pitcairn was established in 1836 from parts of the Towns of Edwards and Fowler.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Pitcairn, 1836 to 1913

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1836
    FoundingPitcairn is established
  3. 1840Post officeThe Pitcairn post office opens
  4. 1850Post officeThe East Pitcairn post office opens
  5. 1857Born hereLucy Bacon is born here
  6. 1889Post officeThe Jayville post office opens
  7. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 1,108
  8. 20th century
  9. 1902Post officeThe Pitcairn post office closes
  10. 1905Post officeThe East Pitcairn post office closes
  11. 1905Post officeThe Jayville post office closes
  12. 1913On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Pitcairn on the map, 1913 to 1982

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

Pitcairn on the 1913 USGS mapPitcairn on the 1951 USGS mapPitcairn on the 1982 USGS map1913Lake Bonaparte 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 Pitcairn.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Edwards1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFine3 historic placesB+DianaIts storyB+FowlerIts storyB

Questions about Pitcairn’s history

What year was Pitcairn founded?

In 1836, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Pitcairn’s post office opened in 1840, and the census of 1840 counted 396 people here.

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 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.