The story
Read it all →How Sullivan came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Sullivan.
A post office called Sullivan has been in operation since 1846. The village took its name from the Town of Sullivan.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Sullivan
Sullivan’s post office opened in 1846, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940
1846first post office
0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Sullivan began
When was Sullivan founded?
1846
The Sullivan post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name.
2020 census: 651180 years
Founding year: the first Sullivan post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Sullivan’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Sullivan’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sullivan’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.By decade
Sullivan, decade by decade
2013
2013
2013
2013
2013Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Sullivan
Nobody well known was born in Sullivan itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Sullivan’s history
What year was Sullivan founded?
The Sullivan post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
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 (5), 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.