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History · Jamaica

Jamaica dates to 1780, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1790.

1780founded
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
10famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Jamaica’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Jamaica began

When was Jamaica founded?

1780

Jamaica dates its founding to 1780 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 263 in 17902020 census: 1,005246 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓

What stands out about Jamaica’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1850 and 1960, then more than doubled.On the map since 18944 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1997. Watch Jamaica change.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Jamaica, and 4 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jamaica’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewJamaica, Vermont: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Jamaica, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,600180018501900195020001,606 in 1850Low: 496

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1850 and 1960, then more than doubled.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

On the map

Jamaica on the map, 1894 to 1997

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

Jamaica on the 1894 USGS mapJamaica on the 1957 USGS mapJamaica on the 1986 USGS mapJamaica on the 1997 USGS map1894Londonderry 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 Jamaica.

The story

How Jamaica came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jamaica.

Read it all →

In the colonial period, what is now Vermont was disputed territory, with land claims from both New York and New Hampshire. The original grants for this area, issued by the Royal Governor of New York in 1767 and 1772, were for two towns. But in 1777, the Republic of Vermont was established. Ignoring the previous grants, it gave charter on November 7, 1780, for “a tract of vacant land within this state which has not heretofore been granted.”

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Jamaica, 1780 to 1960

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1780
    FoundingJamaica is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1819Post officeThe Jamaica post office opens
  5. 1828Born hereElliot Calvin Howe is born here
  6. 1848Born hereEdward Fisher is born here
  7. 1850CensusPopulation peaks at 1,606
  8. 1857Born hereOrion Metcalf Barber is born here
  9. 1877Post officeThe Rawsonville post office opens
  10. 1881Post officeThe East Jamaica post office opens
  11. 1888Born hereFlorence Lee is born here
  12. 1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1895In the archiveJamaica, Vermont
  14. 20th century
  15. 1913Post officeThe Rawsonville post office closes
  16. 1960Post officeThe East Jamaica post office closes
By decade

Jamaica, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s1 item
Jamaica, Vermont1895Jamaica, Vermont
1900s–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
Date unknown1 to date
View of Jamaica Village, VTDate?View of Jamaica Village, VT
Today6 recent
House in2010House inChurch in2010Church inJamaica Ctr, VT south2009Jamaica Ctr, VT southJamaica Ctr, VT north2009Jamaica Ctr, VT northJamaica vt highlight2004Jamaica vt highlightRustic Furniture2003Rustic Furniture
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.

Jamaica, Vermont
Retake this viewJamaica, Vermont, 1895

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

10 famous people were born in Jamaica

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

See all →
Florence LeeAmerican actress · b. 1888
Edward FisherCanadian conductor, organist and founder of the… · b. 1848
E
Elliot Calvin HoweBotanist · b. 1828
Orion Metcalf BarberAmerican politician · b. 1857
Squire Edward HowardPolitician in Massachusetts, US · b. 1840
Robert CowdinUnion Army general · b. 1805
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Jamaica’s post office has been open since 1819. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Jamaica
1819–today
Rawsonville
1877–1913
East Jamaica
1881–1960
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
East JamaicaPikes FallsRawsonvilleWest Jamaica
13cemeteries and burying grounds inside Jamaica
East JamaicaFessendenHowe - East JamaicaMundell - BournePikes FallsPleasant ViewRawsonvilleRobinson DalewoodSeventh Day Adventist ChurchSouth HillSouth WindhamWest JamaicaWilder

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.

Stratton1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWardsboroIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWinhallIts storyC+Townshend8 historic placesAWindham2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Jamaica’s history

What year was Jamaica founded?

In 1780, according to Wikidata. Jamaica’s post office opened in 1819, and the first U.S. census counted 263 people here in 1790.

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 (8), 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.