The story
Read it all →How Hopedale came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Hopedale.
Hopedale was platted in 1849. A post office has been in operation at Hopedale since 1850.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Hopedale
Hopedale dates to 1849, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1870.
1849founded
0on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Quick answers
How Hopedale began
When was Hopedale founded?
1849
Hopedale dates its founding to 1849 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1870.
First census: 359 in 18702020 census: 920177 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
What stands out about Hopedale’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19013 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1972. Watch Hopedale change.Old housesHalf of Hopedale’s homes were built before 1953.Deep rootsEstablished in 1849: 177 years of Hopedale.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Hopedale’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hopedale’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Hopedale on the map, 1901 to 1972
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hopedale. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Cadiz sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hopedale.
Timeline
Hopedale, 1829 to 1940
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1829Post officeThe Greene post office opens
- 1849FoundingHopedale is established
- 1850Post officeThe Greene post office closes
- 1850Post officeThe Hopedale post office opens
- 20th century
- 1901
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1940
In the archiveHopedale, Ohio
By decade
Hopedale, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1940s2 items
19401950s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
2016
2016
2015Then & 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 viewHopedale, Ohio, 1940
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hopedale’s page.
Retake this view · +15People over time
Hopedale, census by census
Between 359 and 984 people in every census since 1870.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hopedale’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Hopedale
Nobody well known was born in Hopedale itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and burying grounds
Hopedale’s post office has been open since 1850. Another post office, Greene, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Greene
Hopedale
18201920today
1cemetery inside Hopedale
Hopedale
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Hopedale’s history
What year was Hopedale founded?
In 1849, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hopedale’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1870 counted 359 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), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, 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.