Skapiškis town, the administration center, was founded at Mituva Lake, among creeks and marshes, next to Skapai estate that was mentioned already in historical chronicles of XVI century. The Alkas Island of Mituva Lake remembers even much further back times. This is the island where once the pagan temple and the altar had stood.
Before the World War I, Skapiškis had two churches: St.Laurynas the Martyr Church, nobody knows who and when it was erected by, and the Dominician Monastery Church. The first was burned during the war and the second, the construction and installation of which was finished in 1826, still stands there.
After the rebellion in 1832, the Czar rule turned out the monks from Skapiškis and in 1854 the Monastery was settled with Finnish rifles. 220 soldiers died of typhus that raged in the barracks. There is a monument erected in the memory of this at Švedukalnis, the place where the soldiers were buried.
Bishop M.Valančius twice visited Skapiškis parish that belonged to the Lowlanders' or Telšiai Bishopric. He also brought there a hero of his book ”Juzė of Palanga” who stayed at Svilas's farm in Kreipšiai village. Skapiškis people had willingly sworn to the Bishop not to drink hard. In 1861 one of the most impressive monuments for Sobriety in Lithuania was erected in the town.
In the period from 1921 to 1925, folk artist V.Silvestraviciūtė had her workshop at Skapiškis where she used to weave national waistbands. At that time it was the only workshop of the kind in the whole coun¬try. P.Pundzevičius born in Laibiškiai farmstead was a famous playwright, known by his pen name ”Petliukas”. He created the whole gallery of village people portraits. His plays are still staged at Skapiškis Amateur Drama Theater. There is a memorial plate fixed to an oak-tree growing in the Pundzevičiai family farmstead telling us that the writer's brother S.Pundzevičius had been famous as well. S.Pundzevičius was General of the Independent Lithuania Army.
Lawyer A.Merkys was born in Bajorai village. He was in charge of the Country Defence in four Lithuanian Minister Cabinets in the period between the two wars. In tragic year of 1940 he finished his career as the last Prime Minister of the Independent Lithuania.
In the year 2000, a monument was erected next to Tatkoniai village cemetery. The monument pictures bas-reliefs of faces of the three academicians – J.Matulis, P.Mažylis and A.Purėnas. J.Matulis was a physicist-chemist, who made world famous scientific discoveries, and was a president of the Lithuanian Science Academy for many years. P.Mažylis was a deserved Lithuanian doctor. A.Purėnas was a distinguished scientist of the organic chemistry.
Poet Maironis used to spend summers at Skapiškis. He used to row into the middle of Mituva lake and sing: ”Here is a drifting boat ...”.