Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to East Bernstadt

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
First Evangelical Reformed ChurchFirst Evangelical Reformed Church · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
History · East Bernstadt

East Bernstadt’s post office opened in 1882

Most of East Bernstadt was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: maps from 1952 on and the census since 2000.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How East Bernstadt began

When was East Bernstadt founded?

1882

The East Bernstadt post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 774 in 20002020 census: 809144 years
Founding year: the first East Bernstadt post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

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

Start East Bernstadt’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

East Bernstadt, in brief

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

East Bernstadt is a census-designated place (CDP) and coal town in Laurel County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census, East Bernstadt had a population of 809.

Its first post office opened in 1882. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 716 to 809 (+13%).

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

By decade

East Bernstadt, decade by decade

Today6 recent
East Bernstadt (5)2012East Bernstadt (5)East Bernstadt (4)2012East Bernstadt (4)East Bernstadt (3)2012East Bernstadt (3)East Bernstadt (2)2012East Bernstadt (2)East Bernstadt (1)2012East Bernstadt (1)KYMap-doton-EastBernstadt2004KYMap-doton-EastBernstadt
On the map

East Bernstadt on the map, 1952 to 1969

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

East Bernstadt on the 1952 USGS mapEast Bernstadt on the 1969 USGS map1952London sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of East Bernstadt.

People over time

East Bernstadt, census by census

020040060080020002020Peak: 809

Between 716 and 809 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to East Bernstadt

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

See all →
Tony SnowAmerican White House Press Secretary · b. 1955
T
Tommy Lee WallaceAmerican film director · b. 1949
John Sherman CooperAmerican politician, jurist, and diplomat · b. 1901
Arthur LakeActor · b. 1905
Frank SelvyAmerican basketball player-coach · b. 1932
William EvansAmerican basketball player, born 1932 · b. 1932
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

East Bernstadt’s post office has been open since 1882.

Gone or out of use
Gem Railroad StationlocaleWayne Railroad Stationlocale
1cemetery inside East Bernstadt
Litton

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

Questions about East Bernstadt’s history

What year was East Bernstadt founded?

The East Bernstadt post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (6), 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.