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History · Joseph

Joseph dates to 1871, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

1871founded
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Ntsimp · Public domain
Quick answers

How Joseph began

When was Joseph founded?

1871

Joseph dates its founding to 1871 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). Its post office opened in 1877.

2020 census: 288155 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1877.

What stands out about Joseph’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 Joseph are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Joseph’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Joseph’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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The story so far

Joseph, in brief

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

Joseph is a town in Sevier County, Utah, United States. The population was 288 at the 2020 census. The town was named for Joseph Angell Young, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph was settled in 1871.

Joseph was established in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 344 to 288 (-16%).

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

Timeline

Joseph, 1871 to 1983

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871
    FoundingJoseph is established
  3. 1877Post officeThe Joseph post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1983Post officeThe Joseph post office closes
By decade

Joseph, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Parker Farm2010Parker FarmJoseph Utah welcome sign2010Joseph Utah welcome sign
Famous people

Famous people close to Joseph

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

See all →
Philo FarnsworthAmerican inventor · b. 1906
Betty CompsonAmerican actress · b. 1897
Jake GarnAmerican politician and general · b. 1932
Marie WindsorAmerican actress · b. 1919
Art AcordAmerican silent film actor, stuntman, ranch hand · b. 1890
Walter Frederick MorrisonInventor of the Frisbee · b. 1920
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Joseph had its own post office from 1877 to 1983.

Joseph
1877–1983
18701950today
1cemetery inside Joseph
Joseph

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

Questions about Joseph’s history

What year was Joseph founded?

In 1871, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Joseph’s post office opened in 1877.

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 (2), 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.