The story
Read it all →How Carthage came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Carthage.
Carthage was platted in 1883. It was named after Carthage, New York.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Carthage
Carthage’s post office opened in 1883, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940
Its Register listing is the Coughlin House. Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1890.
1883first post office
1on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Quick answers
How Carthage began, and where its name came from
When was Carthage founded?
1883
The Carthage post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Franklin (1881), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 200 in 18902020 census: 127143 years
How did Carthage get its name?
Carthage was named after Carthage, New York.
Founding year: the first Carthage post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Carthage’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 Carthage are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18993 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1985. Watch Carthage change.Boom and bustPeaked at 667 in 1920; 127 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1911, drew every building in Carthage.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Carthage’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Carthage’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Carthage on the map, 1899 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Carthage. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1899De Smet sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Carthage.
People over time
Carthage, census by census
Peaked at 667 in 1920; 127 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Carthage’s Wikipedia page.
Timeline
Carthage, 1881 to 1937
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1881Post officeThe Franklin post office opens
- 1883Post officeThe Franklin post office closes
- 1883Post officeThe Carthage post office opens
- 1898Born hereAlvin Pierson is born here
- 1899
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 20th century
- 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 667
- 1937Born herePaul A. Magnuson is born here
By decade
Carthage, decade by decade
Today1 recent
2016Every building
Carthage, building by building, 1893–1911
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1893Sheet 1 of 1Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Carthage
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2006
Coughlin House
Buildings
Architectural styles listings
Folk Victorian1
All 1 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Famous people
See all →2 famous people were born in Carthage
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices
Carthage’s post office has been open since 1883. Another post office, Franklin, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Franklin
Carthage
18801950today
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.
Questions about Carthage’s history
What year was Carthage founded?
The Carthage post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Carthage?
One place: the Coughlin House (listed 2006).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.