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History · Geneva

Geneva’s post office opened in 1873, and 72% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1923 on.

1873first post office
0on the National Register
72%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Geneva began

When was Geneva founded?

1873

The Geneva post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 121153 years
Founding year: the first Geneva post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Geneva’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 Geneva are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Geneva’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19235 editions of the USGS map, 1923 to 1990. Watch Geneva change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Geneva’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Geneva’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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The story

How Geneva came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Geneva.

Read it all →

The community was originally known as Sutton's Corners. John Sutton and his son John S. Sutton settled in the area in 1803. By 1863 the name was changed to Geneva, after Geneva, Switzerland.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Geneva on the map, 1923 to 1990

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

Geneva on the 1923 USGS mapGeneva on the 1943 USGS mapGeneva on the 1968 USGS mapGeneva on the 1973 USGS mapGeneva on the 1990 USGS map1923Meadville 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 Geneva.

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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Questions about Geneva’s history

What year was Geneva founded?

The Geneva post office opened in 1873, 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.