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History · Utica

Utica dates to 1830, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1909 on, and the census since 1870.

1830founded
0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Utica’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Utica began

When was Utica founded?

1830

Utica dates its founding to 1830 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 225 in 18702020 census: 184196 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1836.

What stands out about Utica’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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 321 in 1890; 184 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Utica’s homes were built before 1944.On the map since 19094 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1972. Watch Utica change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Utica’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewOil region of Venango County, Pennsylva…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Utica, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 321

Peaked at 321 in 1890; 184 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

The story so far

Utica, in brief

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

Utica is a borough that is located in Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 184 at the time of the 2020 census. The current mayor of Utica is MaryAnn Schell.

Utica was established in 1830. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 189 to 184 (-3%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Utica, 1890–1919

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

go county, and during this time studied telegraphy, in which he soon became proficient. Mr. McKay took charge of Geneva station, on the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio railroad, April 1, 1871, and in 1874 was transferred to Utica, of which office he has since been in charge. Since locating in Utica…
History of Venango County, Pennsylvania. Its past and present, including ..1890Read the page →
Read the text

go county, and during this time studied telegraphy, in which he soon became proficient. Mr. McKay took charge of Geneva station, on the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio railroad, April 1, 1871, and in 1874 was transferred to Utica, of which office he has since been in charge. Since locating in Utica he has served as justice of the peace, member of the school board, secretary and treasurer of the borough. He is also a skillful civil engineer, and is frequently employed in that capacity in this and other counties. Mr.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
John L. Nesbit was bom July 13, 1874, at Utica, Pa., arid there passed his boyhood". His early education was obtained in the public schools of Utica, and subsequently he attended Allegheny College, at Meadville, Pa., and Westminster College, at New Wilmington, Pa., graduating from the latter instit…
Venango County, Pennsylvania, her pioneers and people, embracing a general history of the county, and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families ..1919 · page 632Read the page →
Read the text

John L. Nesbit was bom July 13, 1874, at Utica, Pa., arid there passed his boyhood". His early education was obtained in the public schools of Utica, and subsequently he attended Allegheny College, at Meadville, Pa., and Westminster College, at New Wilmington, Pa., graduating from the latter institution in 1895. Then he followed with a law course at

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
charge April 26, 1865. His successor was Reverend McKean, after whom came Reverend M. M. Shirley, who served as supply from 1868 until 1871, and ])astor from the latter date until his death in July, 1879. In the meantime the advisability of moving the organization to the town of Utica had been disc…
History of Venango County, Pennsylvania. Its past and present, including ..1890 · page 576Read the page →
Read the text

charge April 26, 1865. His successor was Reverend McKean, after whom came Reverend M. M. Shirley, who served as supply from 1868 until 1871, and ])astor from the latter date until his death in July, 1879. In the meantime the advisability of moving the organization to the town of Utica had been discussed, and after due consideration the matter was decided by l)allot, the majority of tlie congregation voting in favor of making the change. A building site commanding a beautiful view of the village and surrounding country was donated for church purposes by R. L. Cochran and John

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
was bom in Ireland, member of a Scotch-Irish family. They came to Venango county from Ohio in 1842, settling on Mill creek, in French Creek township, two miles southwest of Utica, where he farmed until his retirement, moving then to the borough of Utica. He had also taught school after his arrival …
Venango County, Pennsylvania, her pioneers and people, embracing a general history of the county, and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families ..1919 · page 645Read the page →
Read the text

was bom in Ireland, member of a Scotch-Irish family. They came to Venango county from Ohio in 1842, settling on Mill creek, in French Creek township, two miles southwest of Utica, where he farmed until his retirement, moving then to the borough of Utica. He had also taught school after his arrival in this country. Mr. Nesbit died at Utica in 1871,

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.

Timeline

Utica, 1830 to 1923

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1830
    FoundingUtica is established
  3. 1836Post officeThe Utica post office opens
  4. 1866In the archiveOil region of Venango County, Pennsylvania
  5. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Venango County - Frenchcreek - ED …
  6. 1889Born hereHarold W. Dodds is born here
  7. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 321
  8. 20th century
  9. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1923In the archiveUtica PA United Presby PHS618
By decade

Utica, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s–1880s2 items
Oil region of Venango County, Pennsylvania1866Oil region of Venango County, Pennsylvania1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Venango County - Frenchcreek - ED 61-2218801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania …
1890s–1910snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1920s1 item
Utica PA United Presby PHS6181923Utica PA United Presby PHS618
1930s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today8 recent
Utica, PA welcome sign, June 20242024Utica, PA welcome sign, June 2024Utica, PA park, June 20242024Utica, PA park, June 2024Utica, PA fire station, June 20242024Utica, PA fire station, June 2024Entering Utica, PA from northeast, June 20242024Entering Utica, PA from northeast, June 2024Entering Frenchcreek Twp., Venango Co., PA from Utica along Raymilton Road, June 20242024Entering Frenchcreek Twp., Venango Co., PA from Utica…3rd Street sb in Utica, PA, June 202420243rd Street sb in Utica, PA, June 2024Course of Mill Creek (French Creek tributary)2019Course of Mill Creek (French Creek tributary)Utica station, Pennsylvania, Aug. 20162016Utica station, Pennsylvania, Aug. 2016
On the map

Utica on the map, 1909 to 1972

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

Utica on the 1909 USGS mapUtica on the 1911 USGS mapUtica on the 1963 USGS mapUtica on the 1972 USGS map1909Franklin 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 Utica.

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.

Oil region of Venango County, Pennsylvania
Retake this viewOil region of Venango County, Pennsylvania, 1866

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

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Utica’s post office has been open since 1836.

Gone or out of use
Utica Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Canal TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFrenchcreek TownshipIts storyC

Questions about Utica’s history

What year was Utica founded?

In 1830, according to Wikidata. Utica’s post office opened in 1836, and the census of 1870 counted 225 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 (11), 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), 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.