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History · Garrett

Garrett dates to 1869, and 50% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1921 on, and the census since 1880.

1869founded
0on the National Register
50%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Garrett’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Garrett began

When was Garrett founded?

1869

Garrett dates its founding to 1869 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 253 in 18802020 census: 415157 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1870.The full story ↓

What stands out about Garrett’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.Boom and bustPeaked at 878 in 1930; 415 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Garrett’s homes were built before 1941.On the map since 19216 editions of the USGS map, 1921 to 1981. Watch Garrett change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Garrett’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewGarrett, Pennsylvania, Jackson Street: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Garrett, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 878

Peaked at 878 in 1930; 415 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Garrett came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Garrett.

Read it all →

Garrett was first settled in 1869 and was incorporated in 1900. Garrett is named for the president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad John Work Garrett. John W. Garrett served as president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from 1858 to 1884 and was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 31, 1820. He was the second son of Elizabeth Stouffer and Robert Garrett. He married Rachel Ann Harrison, the daughter of Thomas Harrison, a Baltimore merchant. They had one daughter, Mary and two sons, Robert and Thomas Harrison Garrett.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Garrett, 1869 to 1930

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1869
    FoundingGarrett is established
  3. 1870Post officeThe Garrett post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1921On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 878
By decade

Garrett, decade by decade

Date unknown2 to date
Garrett, Pennsylvania, Jackson StreetDate?Garrett, Pennsylvania, Jackson StreetGarrett, PennsylvaniaDate?Garrett, Pennsylvania
Today2 recent
Bauchman Rocks - panoramio (3)2014Bauchman Rocks - panoramio (3)Garrett Post Office2009Garrett Post Office
On the map

Garrett on the map, 1921 to 1981

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

Garrett on the 1921 USGS mapGarrett on the 1939 USGS mapGarrett on the 1944 USGS mapGarrett on the 1968 USGS mapGarrett on the 1973 USGS mapGarrett on the 1981 USGS map1921Meyersdale 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 Garrett.

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.

Garrett, Pennsylvania, Jackson Street
Retake this viewGarrett, Pennsylvania, Jackson Street

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

Retake this view · +15

Questions about Garrett’s history

What year was Garrett founded?

In 1869, according to Wikidata. Garrett’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1880 counted 253 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 (4), 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.