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History · Dorseyville

Dorseyville’s post office opened in 1854

Most of Dorseyville was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958. Below: maps from 1908 on.

1854first post office
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Dorseyville began

When was Dorseyville founded?

1854

The Dorseyville post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name.

172 years
Founding year: the first Dorseyville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Dorseyville’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 Dorseyville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19086 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1993. Watch Dorseyville change.Old housesHalf of Dorseyville’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dorseyville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dorseyville’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

Dorseyville on the map, 1908 to 1993

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

Dorseyville on the 1908 USGS mapDorseyville on the 1910 USGS mapDorseyville on the 1953 USGS mapDorseyville on the 1960 USGS mapDorseyville on the 1979 USGS mapDorseyville on the 1993 USGS map1908New Kensington 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 Dorseyville.

The story

How Dorseyville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dorseyville.

Read it all →

Dorseyville was originally called "Crowtown" by farmers, but later named for the Dorsey family that lived on modern day Cedar Run Road. The Dorseyville fire hall, which held the Dorseyville Corn Carnival until the 2000s, was demolished and rebuilt in 2009 at a cost of $699,560. In 1880, a farm was built on old farm trail, which now goes by the address: 400 Meadow Springs Farm Ln, Pittsburgh, PA 15238. Dorseyville is also home to Hartwood Elementary School, which is ranked as the 22nd best elementary school in Pennsylvania.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Dorseyville

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

See all →
Evelyn NesbitAmerican model and actress · b. 1884
J
John AbramovicBasketball player · b. 1919
Herman (Swaiko)American Eastern Orthodox bishop · b. 1932
M
Marie TaylorAmerican botanist · b. 1911
M
Margaret Fay ShawAmerican folklorist and musicologist · b. 1903
Gene TenaceAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1946

Questions about Dorseyville’s history

What year was Dorseyville founded?

The Dorseyville post office opened in 1854, 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 Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.