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History · Salisbury

Salisbury dates to 1794, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1973 on, and the census since 1870.

1794founded
0on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Salisbury’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Salisbury began

When was Salisbury founded?

1794

Salisbury dates its founding to 1794 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 291 in 18702020 census: 706232 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1810.The full story ↓

What stands out about Salisbury’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.Boom and bustPeaked at 980 in 1900; 706 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Salisbury’s homes were built before 1950.Deep rootsEstablished in 1794: 232 years of Salisbury.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Salisbury’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Salisbury’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 photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewSalisbury PA: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Salisbury, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 980

Peaked at 980 in 1900; 706 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

The story

How Salisbury came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Salisbury.

Read it all →

Salisbury was laid out by Joseph Markley in 1794, with Douglas Baker as the surveyor. Peter Shirer and Martin Weimer built the first house, and Peter Shirer was also the first storekeeper. Peter Shirer and Peter Welfley added more lots to the town circa 1814, John Smith added more in about 1850, and the Beachy family added still more in 1870. The town, located on the Turkey Foot Road, was organized as a borough in 1862.

In 1998, Salisbury was hit by two F3 tornadoes on May 31 and June 2. The May 31 tornado killed one person and injured 15 others and the June 2 tornado intensified into an F4 tornado when it struck Allegany County, Maryland.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Salisbury, 1794 to 1973

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1794
    FoundingSalisbury is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1810Post officeThe Salisbury post office opens
  5. 1823Born hereKersey Coates is born here
  6. 1888Born hereJoseph H. Stotler is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 980
  9. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Salisbury, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Salisbury PADate?Salisbury PA
Today4 recent
US 219 nb in Salisbury, PA (2), Aug. 20242024US 219 nb in Salisbury, PA (2), Aug. 2024US 219 nb in Salisbury, PA (1), Aug. 20242024US 219 nb in Salisbury, PA (1), Aug. 2024Salisbury, PA post office, Aug. 20242024Salisbury, PA post office, Aug. 2024Grant from Ord in2013Grant from Ord in
On the map

Salisbury on the map, 1973 to 1981

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

Salisbury on the 1973 USGS mapSalisbury on the 1981 USGS map1973Meyersdale sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Salisbury.

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.

Salisbury PA
Retake this viewSalisbury PA

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Salisbury

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
Joseph H. StotlerHorse trainer · b. 1888
Kersey CoatesAmerican businessman · b. 1823

Questions about Salisbury’s history

What year was Salisbury founded?

In 1794, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Salisbury’s post office opened in 1810, and the census of 1870 counted 291 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 (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.