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History · Thompsonville

Thompsonville’s post office opened in 1843

Most of Thompsonville was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1904 on and old-book passages.

1843first post office
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Thompsonville began

When was Thompsonville founded?

1843

The Thompsonville post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 3,704183 years
Founding year: the first Thompsonville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Thompsonville’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 Thompsonville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19045 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1993. Watch Thompsonville change.Deep rootsA post office since 1843: 183 years of Thompsonville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Thompsonville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Thompsonville’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

Thompsonville on the map, 1904 to 1993

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

Thompsonville on the 1904 USGS mapThompsonville on the 1953 USGS mapThompsonville on the 1960 USGS mapThompsonville on the 1979 USGS mapThompsonville on the 1993 USGS map1904Carnegie 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 Thompsonville.

The story so far

Thompsonville, in brief

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

Thompsonville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Peters Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,520 at the 2010 census.

Its first post office opened in 1843. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,520 to 3,704 (+5%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Thompsonville in 1882

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

Hugh Thompson is found upon the plat of Canonsburg when first laid out in 1787. He was an early settler on Cliartiers Creek, in Peters township, near Thompsonville, and from him that village derived its name. He was a practitioner over a large extent of country. It is not probable that he ever resi…
History of Washington County, Pennsylvania1882 · page 613Read the page →
Read the text

Hugh Thompson is found upon the plat of Canonsburg when first laid out in 1787. He was an early settler on Cliartiers Creek, in Peters township, near Thompsonville, and from him that village derived its name. He was a practitioner over a large extent of country. It is not probable that he ever resided in Canonsburg, as his life was mostly passed on his farm.

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

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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Famous people

Famous people close to Thompsonville

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

See all →
Perry ComoAmerican singer, actor, television personality · b. 1912
Bobby VintonAmerican singer · b. 1935
S
Scott HahnAmerican theologian · b. 1957
Marty SchottenheimerAmerican football player and coach · b. 1943
B
Burke JonesAmerican soccer player · b. 1903
J
Joe SerafiniAmerican actor · b. 1998
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Peters Township1 historic placeB−McMurrayIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCecil Township1 historic placeA−North Strabane Township2 historic placesB−

Questions about Thompsonville’s history

What year was Thompsonville founded?

The Thompsonville post office opened in 1843, 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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.