Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 20 old photos and papers, maps from 1923 on, and the census since 1800.
Alexandria dates its founding to 1793 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1800.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Alexandria’s history is told.
Date?Pennsylvania Railroad Station, Shelton Avenue
Date?Pennsylvania Canal Lockkeeper's House, Hartslog Stree…
Date?Alexandria,Town of
Date?Alexandria School, Second Street
Date?Alexandria High School, Main Street & Church Street
Date?Alexandria Presbyterian Church, Hartslog Street & She…
Date?Alexandria Memorial Public Library, Hartslog & Main S…
Date?Dorfgrange Farm, House
Date?Dorfgrange Farm, Barn
Date?405 Main Street (House)
Date?310 Main Street (House)
Date?318 Main Street (House)
Date?Thompson Carriage House, Canal Road
Date?Benjamin Neff House, Second Street
Date?Francis Connor House, Shelton Avenue
Date?Benjamin Cross House, Main Street
Date?John Cresswell House, Main Street
Date?Soloman Baker House, Shelton Avenue
Date?Thomas Stewart House, Shelton Avenue
Date?Israel Grafius House, 215 Main Street
2024Main Street wb, Alexandria, PA, Aug. 2024
2016Old hotel on Main
2016House in Alexandria Huntingdon Co PA
2016Christ Reformed Church of
2016Alexandria RR Station, Pennsylvania
2016Alexandria PA Library
2016Alexandria PA Fire Department
2014Pennsylvania State Route 305
2014Pennsylvania State Route 305
2014Memorial Public LibraryFrom Wikipedia’s history of Alexandria.
The year 1744 is the first record of John Hart's “logg”, near where Alexandria is located now. During the land purchase of 1755 James Sterrat of Carlisle purchased 400 acres including the sleeping place called John Hart's log on the Juniata River, which is now Alexandria.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereThomas Conrad Porter is born here
Born hereJohn Scott is born here
Born hereGeorge Washington Scott is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Alexandria. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Alexandria.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Alexandria’s page.
Retake this view · +15Peaked at 601 in 1850; 384 people lived here in 2020.
22 censuses, 1800–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Alexandria’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1793, according to Wikidata. Alexandria’s post office opened in 1798, and the census of 1800 counted 138 people here.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (20), 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.
