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History · Searsburg

Searsburg dates to 1781

Most of Searsburg was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1820.

1781founded
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
7old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Searsburg’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Searsburg began

When was Searsburg founded?

1781

Searsburg dates its founding to 1781 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 9 in 18202020 census: 126245 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1833.

What stands out about Searsburg’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

On the map since 18895 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1997. Watch Searsburg change.Boom and bustPeaked at 262 in 1860; 126 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1781: 245 years of Searsburg.
★ What stands out · On the map

Searsburg on the map, 1889 to 1997

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

Searsburg on the 1889 USGS mapSearsburg on the 1891 USGS mapSearsburg on the 1954 USGS mapSearsburg on the 1986 USGS mapSearsburg on the 1997 USGS map1889Wilmington 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 Searsburg.

People over time

Searsburg, census by census

01002001850190019502000Peak: 262

Peaked at 262 in 1860; 126 people lived here in 2020.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Timeline

Searsburg, 1781 to 1933

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1781
    FoundingSearsburg is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1833Post officeThe Searsburg post office opens
  5. 1860CensusPopulation peaks at 262
  6. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 20th century
  8. 1914In the archiveMan, identified as the postmaster, standing outside of shack serving as the Searsburg pos…
  9. 1933Post officeThe Searsburg post office closes
The story so far

Searsburg, in brief

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

Searsburg is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 126 at the 2020 census.

Searsburg was established in 1781. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 109 to 126 (+16%).

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

By decade

Searsburg, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s6 items
Man, identified as the postmaster, standing outside of shack serving as the Searsburg post office in 19141914Man, identified as the postmaster, standing outside o…Man, identified as the postmaster, standing outside of shack serving as the Searsburg post office in 19141914Man, identified as the postmaster, standing outside o…Post Office, Searsburg, Vt1914Post Office, Searsburg, VtPost Office, Searsburg, Vt1914Post Office, Searsburg, VtPost Office1914Post OfficeMan, identified as the postmaster, standing outside of shack serving as the Searsburg post office in 19141914Man, identified as the postmaster, standing outside o…
1920s–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
Post Office at Searsburg, VT, on one of the drives from Child's Tavern (NBY 22234)Date?Post Office at Searsburg, VT, on one of the drives fr…
Today5 recent
Decorative small cabin in the woods near Searsburg, Vermont2017Decorative small cabin in the woods near Searsburg, V…Searsburg Town Hall and Highway Department2017Searsburg Town Hall and Highway DepartmentPicnic Shelter2017Picnic ShelterMemorial2017MemorialSearsburg vt highlight2004Searsburg vt highlight
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.

Man, identified as the postmaster, standing outside of shack serving as the Searsburg post office in 1914
Retake this viewMan, identified as the postmaster, standing outside of shack serving as the Searsburg post office in 1914, 1914

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Searsburg

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

See all →
Will DurantAmerican historian, philosopher and writer · b. 1885
Brigham YoungAmerican religious leader, second president of … · b. 1801
JoJoAmerican singer and actress · b. 1990
Frank VincentAmerican actor · b. 1937
J
John Henry SchwarzAmerican theoretical physicist · b. 1941
Florence LeeAmerican actress · b. 1888
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Searsburg had its own post office from 1833 to 1933.

Searsburg
1833–1933
18301930today
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Searsburg
CutlerCutlerEamesFairington

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

Help out

Finish Searsburg’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 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 viewMan, identified as the postmaster, stan…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Wilmington3 historic placesAWoodfordIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townReadsboro1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Searsburg’s history

What year was Searsburg founded?

In 1781, according to Wikidata. Searsburg’s post office opened in 1833, and the census of 1820 counted 9 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 (9), the Library of Congress (3), 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.