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History · Cynthiana

Cynthiana’s post office opened in 1839

Most of Cynthiana was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958. Below: maps from 1915 on.

1839first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Cynthiana began

When was Cynthiana founded?

1839

The Cynthiana post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 57187 years
Founding year: the first Cynthiana post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Cynthiana’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 Cynthiana are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19153 editions of the USGS map, 1915 to 1974. Watch Cynthiana change.Deep rootsA post office since 1839: 187 years of Cynthiana.Old housesHalf of Cynthiana’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cynthiana’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Cynthiana on the map, 1915 to 1974

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

Cynthiana on the 1915 USGS mapCynthiana on the 1961 USGS mapCynthiana on the 1974 USGS map1915Bainbridge 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 Cynthiana.

The story so far

Cynthiana, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Cynthiana yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Cynthiana is a census-designated place in northwestern Perry Township, Pike County, Ohio, United States. Cynthiana no longer has a post office and the mailing address has been changed to Bainbridge, OH 45612. It lies along State Route 41. The population was 57 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1839. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 68 to 57 (-16%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

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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Famous people

Famous people close to Cynthiana

Nobody well known was born in Cynthiana itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Milton CaniffAmerican cartoonist · b. 1907
James BushAmerican actor · b. 1907
John E. HullUnited States Army general · b. 1895
Bob McEwenAmerican politician · b. 1950
Carey A. TrimbleAmerican politician · b. 1813
E
Esther Boise Van DemanAmerican archaeologist · b. 1862

Questions about Cynthiana’s history

What year was Cynthiana founded?

The Cynthiana post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.