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B+History
History · Gettysburg

Gettysburg’s post office opened in 1883, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 66% of U.S. towns. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1978 on and the census since 1910.

1883first post office
4on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Gettysburg began

When was Gettysburg founded?

1883

The Gettysburg post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1884.

First census: 936 in 19102020 census: 1,104143 years

How historic is Gettysburg?

B+

More historic than 66% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Gettysburg post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1884.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Gettysburg’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gettysburg is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gettysburg’s overall grade.
Founding era1883, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194020.3% of homes (±5.3) · typical SD town 10.4% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register4 listings, 5 historic buildings, 39.7 per 10,000 residents · typical SD town 37.3 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 66%
NewerOlder

South Dakota towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical South Dakota town has 37.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Gettysburg’s 39.7 sits above most of its state (71% of South Dakota towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1884 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Gettysburg’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 Gettysburg are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,950 in 1960; 1,104 people lived here in 2020.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.Old housesHalf of Gettysburg’s homes were built before 1962.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gettysburg’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gettysburg’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
People over time

Gettysburg, census by census

05001,0001,5002,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,950

Peaked at 1,950 in 1960; 1,104 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

On the National Register

4 historic places in Gettysburg

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1989
George Holland House
George Holland House, built 1904D. H. and Leah Curran House, built 1924Potter County Courthouse, built 1911Stocker, G. L., Blacksmith Shop, built 1901
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Classical Revival1
Vernacular False-Front Commercial1
George Holland HouseQueen Anne · Built 1904
D. H. and Leah Curran HouseBungalow/Craftsman · Built 1924
Potter County CourthouseClassical Revival · Built 1911
Stocker, G. L., Blacksmith ShopVernacular False-Front Commercial · Built 1901

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Gettysburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Gettysburg.

Read it all →

Gettysburg was platted in 1884. The city was named in commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg. A large share of the early settlers were Civil War veterans of the Union Army. Gettysburg was once home to Gettysburg Air Force Station which closed in 1968.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Gettysburg, 1883 to 1978

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Gettysburg post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1901BuiltStocker, G. L., Blacksmith Shop is built
  5. 1904BuiltGeorge Holland House is built
  6. 1910Born hereHazel Forbes is born here
  7. 1911BuiltPotter County Courthouse is built
  8. 1924BuiltD. H. and Leah Curran House is built
  9. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 1,950
  10. 1965Born hereSteve Asmussen is born here
  11. 1978On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Gettysburg, decade by decade

Today14 recent
2017 Gettysburg, SD Corn - Platform Header Harvested Wheat Stubble - No Till20172017 Gettysburg, SD Corn - Platform Header Harvested …2017 Gettysburg, SD Corn - Platform Header Harvested Wheat Stubble - No Till20172017 Gettysburg, SD Corn - Platform Header Harvested …2017 Gettysburg, SD Corn - Platform Header Harvested Wheat Stubble - No Till20172017 Gettysburg, SD Corn - Platform Header Harvested …2017 Gettysburg, SD Corn - Platform Header Harvested Wheat Stubble - No Till20172017 Gettysburg, SD Corn - Platform Header Harvested …2017 Gettysburg SD No Till Corn Long Term Timelapse Cameras20172017 Gettysburg SD No Till Corn Long Term Timelapse C…2017 Gettysburg SD No Till Corn Long Term Timelapse Cameras20172017 Gettysburg SD No Till Corn Long Term Timelapse C…2017 Gettysburg SD No Till Corn Long Term Timelapse Camera20172017 Gettysburg SD No Till Corn Long Term Timelapse C…2017 Gettysburg SD No Till Corn Long Term Timelapse Camera20172017 Gettysburg SD No Till Corn Long Term Timelapse C…Potter County Cover Crop Tour Oct 5, 20162016Potter County Cover Crop Tour Oct 5, 2016Stocker Blacksmith Shop NRHP 96000744 Potter County, SD2015Stocker Blacksmith Shop NRHP 96000744 Potter County, …POTTER COUNTY COURTHOUSE2013POTTER COUNTY COURTHOUSEGEORGE HOLLAND HOUSE, POTTER COUNTY, SD2013GEORGE HOLLAND HOUSE, POTTER COUNTY, SDD. H. AND LEAH CURRAN HOUSE, POTTER COUNTY, SD2013D. H. AND LEAH CURRAN HOUSE, POTTER COUNTY, SDSDMap-doton-Gettysburg2004SDMap-doton-Gettysburg
On the map

Gettysburg on the map, 1978 to 1985

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

Gettysburg on the 1978 USGS mapGettysburg on the 1985 USGS map1978Gettysburg sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Gettysburg.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Gettysburg

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Hazel ForbesAmerican actress and dancer · b. 1910
Steve AsmussenAmerican Thoroughbred racehorse trainer · b. 1965

Questions about Gettysburg’s history

What year was Gettysburg founded?

The Gettysburg post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1884.

How does Gettysburg rank for history?

Gettysburg is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Gettysburg?

4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the George Holland House (listed 1989, the first). 5 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Gettysburg?

20% of Gettysburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.3 points), against a typical 10% for a South Dakota town; the median home was built in 1962.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (14), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.