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Marysville, PAPhoto: Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−History
History · Marysville

Marysville dates to 1755, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 83% of U.S. towns · #278 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1870.

1755founded
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Marysville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Marysville began

When was Marysville founded?

1755

Marysville dates its founding to 1755 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 863 in 18702020 census: 2,652271 years

How historic is Marysville?

A−

More historic than 83% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1867.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Marysville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Marysville is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #278 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Marysville’s overall grade.
Founding era1755, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194038.4% of homes (±7.7) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%ANational RegisterNo listings counted · typical PA town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 83%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 73%

Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Marysville’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.7 points). Two sources give 1755.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Marysville’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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18928 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1993. Watch Marysville change.Older than the countryEstablished in 1755, 21 years before the Declaration of Independence.Old housesHalf of Marysville’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Marysville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Descri…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Marysville on the map, 1892 to 1993

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

Marysville on the 1892 USGS mapMarysville on the 1924 USGS mapMarysville on the 1947 USGS mapMarysville on the 1956 USGS mapMarysville on the 1963 USGS mapMarysville on the 1974 USGS mapMarysville on the 1987 USGS mapMarysville on the 1993 USGS map1892Harrisburg 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 Marysville.

Timeline

Marysville, 1755 to 1892

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1755
    FoundingMarysville is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1850In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Perry County - ED 50-12, E…
  5. 1867Post officeThe Marysville post office opens
  6. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Marysville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Marysville.

Read it all →

The Rockville Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Marysville, 1873–1922

Passages that mention Marysville, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Marysville, with its extensive railroad yards, in 1862 had but a watering station for engines, called the "Y." In 1863 the wooden railroad bridge connecting the town of Dauphin and northern Marysville, was built, thus connecting the divisions of the Northern Central Railroad from Baltimore to the N…
History of Perry County, Pennsylvania, including descriptions of Indians and pioneer life from the time of earliest settlement1922 · page 1002Read the page →
Read the text

Marysville, with its extensive railroad yards, in 1862 had but a watering station for engines, called the "Y." In 1863 the wooden railroad bridge connecting the town of Dauphin and northern Marysville, was built, thus connecting the divisions of the Northern Central Railroad from Baltimore to the North. The northbound and southbound traffic then all passed through Marysville. The station at the west end of this bridge was known as Marysville, and the lower station, at the then village proper, as Haley's.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Marysville, with its extensive railroad yards, in 1862 had but a watering station for engines, called the “Y.’ In 1863 the wooden railroad bridge connecting the town of Dauphin and northern Marysville, was built, thus connecting the divisions of the Northern Central Railroad from Baltimore to the N…
History Of Perry County, Pennsylvania1922 · page 1000Read the page →
Read the text

Marysville, with its extensive railroad yards, in 1862 had but a watering station for engines, called the “Y.’ In 1863 the wooden railroad bridge connecting the town of Dauphin and northern Marysville, was built, thus connecting the divisions of the Northern Central Railroad from Baltimore to the North. The northbound and southbound traffic then all passed through Marysville. The station at the west end of this bridge was known as Marysville, and the lower station, at the then village proper, as Haley’s.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Marysville was laid out by Theophilus Fenn, the proprietor of the land on which it is built, as a village of Rye township, and up to April 12, 1866, was never incorporated, when it was incorporated as Haley, which was the name given to the post-office for a year or more. Since its incorporation, Ma…
History of Perry County, in Pennsylvania1873 · page 44Read the page →
Read the text

Marysville was laid out by Theophilus Fenn, the proprietor of the land on which it is built, as a village of Rye township, and up to April 12, 1866, was never incorporated, when it was incorporated as Haley, which was the name given to the post-office for a year or more. Since its incorporation, Marysville has improved so rapidly that it now ranks third in the county in number of population.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Marysville Church of God. Rev. Thomas Still organized the first church of that faith in Marysville, in 1866, following a series of religious meetings held in the woods. It began with eight members. As early as 1850 several meetings were held, but with no result, as there were then but four dwelling…
History of Perry County, Pennsylvania, including descriptions of Indians and pioneer life from the time of earliest settlement1922 · page 1005Read the page →
Read the text

Marysville Church of God. Rev. Thomas Still organized the first church of that faith in Marysville, in 1866, following a series of religious meetings held in the woods. It began with eight members. As early as 1850 several meetings were held, but with no result, as there were then but four dwelling houses there. In 1865 another effort was made, but again lapsed.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Marysville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1850s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s1 item
1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Perry County - ED 50-12, ED 50-13, ED 50-14, ED 50-15, E…18501940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Penns…
Today14 recent
North Main Street nb, Marysville, PA, May 20262026North Main Street nb, Marysville, PA, May 2026Marysville, PA from Fort Hunter, May 20262026Marysville, PA from Fort Hunter, May 2026Front Street eb inside Marysville, PA subway, May 20262026Front Street eb inside Marysville, PA subway, May 2026Front Street eb entering Marysville, PA subway, May 20262026Front Street eb entering Marysville, PA subway, May 2…PA 850, Marysville (2), July 20252025PA 850, Marysville (2), July 2025PA 850, Marysville (1), July 20252025PA 850, Marysville (1), July 2025PA 850 eb entering Marysville, July 20252025PA 850 eb entering Marysville, July 2025Marysville-Rye Library, Marysville, PA, July 20252025Marysville-Rye Library, Marysville, PA, July 2025Marysville, PA Municipal Building, July 20252025Marysville, PA Municipal Building, July 2025PA 850 WB past US 11-US 152024PA 850 WB past US 11-US 15US 11-15 sb approaching PA 850, Aug. 20232023US 11-15 sb approaching PA 850, Aug. 2023Cove Mountain Preserve2022Cove Mountain Preserve2022-09-09 17 34 05 UTC minus 4 Aerial view centered on Marysville, Perry County, Pennsylvania, showing the Susquehanna…20222022-09-09 17 34 05 UTC minus 4 Aerial view centered …Marysville, PA2010Marysville, PA
Every building

Marysville, building by building, 1905–1911

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Marysville fire insurance map, 1905, sheet 11905Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Perry County - ED 50-12, ED 50-13, ED 50-14, ED 50-15, E…
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Perry County - ED 50-12, ED 50-13, ED 50-14, ED 50-15, E…, 1850

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Marysville, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,500188019001920194019601980200020202,652

Grew from 863 people in 1870 to 2,652 in 2020, 3 times over.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Middle Paxton Township1 historic placeBSusquehanna Township4 historic placesA−Penn TownshipIts storyCRye TownshipIts storyC−

Questions about Marysville’s history

What year was Marysville founded?

In 1755, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Marysville’s post office opened in 1867, and the census of 1870 counted 863 people here.

How does Marysville rank for history?

Marysville is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #278 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Marysville?

38% of Marysville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.7 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1955.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (15), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.