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PA 171 sb in Simpson (1), April 2025Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
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History · Simpson

Simpson dates to 1818, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on.

1818founded
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Simpson began

When was Simpson founded?

1818

Simpson dates its founding to 1818 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1896.

2020 census: 1,336208 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1896.

What stands out about Simpson’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 Simpson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18924 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1994. Watch Simpson change.Old housesHalf of Simpson’s homes were built before 1944.Deep rootsEstablished in 1818: 208 years of Simpson.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Simpson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Simpson’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

Simpson on the map, 1892 to 1994

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

Simpson on the 1892 USGS mapSimpson on the 1946 USGS mapSimpson on the 1969 USGS mapSimpson on the 1994 USGS map1892Honesdale 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 Simpson.

The story so far

Simpson, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Simpson yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Simpson is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fell Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is directly north of the city of Carbondale on Pennsylvania Route 171. As of the 2010 census the population of Simpson was 1,275. Simpson was settled in 1818 and organized in 1845. It is named after Clarence D. Simpson, who was one of the large independent coal magnates in the Northern Anthracite Region. Early industries included trapping, tanning and lumbering. Later, coal mining and railroading became dominant professions. The coal miners were often immigrants from Russia, Poland, and Slovakia. Local businesses of the past include Fell Brewing Co., makers…

Simpson was established in 1818. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,275 to 1,336 (+5%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Simpson, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Simpson, PA VFW Hall, April 20252025Simpson, PA VFW Hall, April 2025PA 171 sb in Simpson (2), April 20252025PA 171 sb in Simpson (2), April 2025PA 171 sb in Simpson (1), April 20252025PA 171 sb in Simpson (1), April 20252021-09-09 15 01 30 View north along Pennsylvania State Route 171 (Main Street) just north of Jefferson Street in Fell …20212021-09-09 15 01 30 View north along Pennsylvania Sta…MonkeyRun20142014MonkeyRun2014
Famous people

Famous people close to Simpson

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

See all →
Pat CrowleyAmerican actress · b. 1933
B
Bill SienkiewiczAmerican artist · b. 1958
Pat O'MalleyAmerican stage and film actor · b. 1890
Walter Tennyson SwingleAmerican botanist · b. 1871
J
Joseph BamberaCatholic bishop · b. 1956
Terry PegulaAmerican businessman · b. 1951

Questions about Simpson’s history

What year was Simpson founded?

In 1818, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Simpson’s post office opened in 1896.

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 Wikimedia Commons (5) 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.