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History · Ursina

Ursina dates to 1868, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1922 on and the census since 1880.

1868founded
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Ursina began

When was Ursina founded?

1868

Ursina dates its founding to 1868 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 445 in 18802020 census: 247158 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓

What stands out about Ursina’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 Ursina are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Ursina’s homes were built before 1954.On the map since 19225 editions of the USGS map, 1922 to 1994. Watch Ursina change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ursina’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Ursina came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ursina.

Read it all →

Ursina takes its name from Judge William J. Baer, owner of the land when the town was laid out in 1868 by surveyors H.L. Baer and R.J. Botzer; "bear" in Latin is Ursus. Judge Baer had a blacksmith shop and a sawmill built, Ephraim Kreger built the first house, and Isaac A. Jenkins built the first store, all in that same year of 1868. A school was built in 1870, with John Griffith serving as the first teacher. Ursina was organized as a borough in 1872.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Ursina on the map, 1922 to 1994

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

Ursina on the 1922 USGS mapUrsina on the 1931 USGS mapUrsina on the 1967 USGS mapUrsina on the 1973 USGS mapUrsina on the 1994 USGS map1922Confluence 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 Ursina.

Timeline

Ursina, 1868 to 1922

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868
    FoundingUrsina is established
  3. 1869Post officeThe Ursina post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1908Born hereLarry Critchfield is born here
  6. 1922On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Ursina, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Ursina streetside2013Ursina streetside
People over time

Ursina, census by census

010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 445

Between 225 and 445 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Lower Turkeyfoot Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Ursina’s history

What year was Ursina founded?

In 1868, according to Wikidata. Ursina’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1880 counted 445 people here.

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 (1), 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.