Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: old-book passages.
The Smithfield post office opened in 1814, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Smithfield’s history is told.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Smithfield yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Its first post office opened in 1814. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 875 to 831 (-5%).
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Passages that mention Smithfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
writer to an evening party, and she thought herself well dressed, The first permanent settler in the present township of Smithfield was Reuben Mitchell, from Rhode Island, who, with his family, came to Smithfield in 1794, then called Ulster, and they for about four years were the only inhabitants of the township. About 1798 several men commenced improvements, but soon abandoned them. In 1799 James
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
change for money or family necessaries. No railroads were known then. The first post office opened in Smithfield was in 1825. The first store in 1838, by Lyman Durfcy. The first church edifice was erected in 181 1, by the Congregational Society. Rev. John Bascom was their first preacher, who settled here in 1813.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The town of Smithfield is named in honor of Barnabas Smith, who laid it out June 13. 1799, on land obtained from the father-in-law, Jonathan Reese. Although the Brownfields owned all the land around the village, it has been named Smithfield from the first. Barnabas Smith married Elizabeth Reese and became the head of a large family of descend-
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SAHTH America was early founded in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, where the name is publicly perpetuated by the borough of Smithfield, laid out June 13, 1799, by one Barnabas Smith. The first definite record in this branch is of Henry Smith, of German descent. He was a farmer of Fayette county, which is said to have been his
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.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Smithfield’s post office has been open since 1814.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Smithfield post office opened in 1814, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
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