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History · Auburn

Auburn’s post office opened in 1850, and 51% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1889 on and the census since 1860.

1850first post office
0on the National Register
51%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Auburn began

When was Auburn founded?

1850

The Auburn post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1857.

First census: 527 in 18602020 census: 660176 years
Founding year: the first Auburn post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1857.The full story ↓

What stands out about Auburn’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 Auburn are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18896 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1999. Watch Auburn change.Old housesHalf of Auburn’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,170 in 1930; 660 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Auburn’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Auburn on the map, 1889 to 1999

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

Auburn on the 1889 USGS mapAuburn on the 1891 USGS mapAuburn on the 1945 USGS mapAuburn on the 1968 USGS mapAuburn on the 1979 USGS mapAuburn on the 1999 USGS map1889Pottsville 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 Auburn.

The story

How Auburn came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Auburn.

Read it all →

The area was historically known as the "Scotchman's Lock". The first house in what is today Auburn was built in the late 1830s by a boatman named Samuel Moyer, who also operated a store there. In 1842, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad reached the area, at which point the area's official name was changed to "Auburn". The town became officially established in 1857. The Susquehanna and Schuylkill Railroad reached Auburn in 1857. The first post office in Auburn was built in 1846 and the first school was set up in 1846.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Auburn in 1906

Passages that mention Auburn, cut from the printed page as they were published.

In 1852, the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company extended its railroad from Rausch Gap to Auburn, connecting there with the Reading Railroad, and thus giving Pinegrove an additional outlet for the shipment of coal.
Old Schuylkill tales1906 · page 148Read the page →
Read the text

In 1852, the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company extended its railroad from Rausch Gap to Auburn, connecting there with the Reading Railroad, and thus giving Pinegrove an additional outlet for the shipment of coal.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Auburn, 1850 to 1930

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1850Post officeThe Auburn post office opens
  3. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 1,170
By decade

Auburn, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Auburn, PA post office, June 20252025Auburn, PA post office, June 2025Auburn, PA municipal building, July 20252025Auburn, PA municipal building, July 2025Auburn Church of God Cemetery, Auburn, PA, July 20252025Auburn Church of God Cemetery, Auburn, PA, July 2025Auburn, Pennsylvania2011Auburn, PennsylvaniaAuburn, Pennsylvania2011Auburn, PennsylvaniaAuburn, Pennsylvania2011Auburn, PennsylvaniaAuburn, Pennsylvania2011Auburn, PennsylvaniaAuburn, Pennsylvania2011Auburn, PennsylvaniaAuburn, Pennsylvania2011Auburn, Pennsylvania
People over time

Auburn, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200190019502000Peak: 1,170

Peaked at 1,170 in 1930; 660 people lived here in 2020.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Auburn

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

See all →
Gary S. BeckerAmerican economist · b. 1930
John O'HaraAmerican journalist and writer · b. 1905
M
Matt WachterAmerican musician · b. 1976
R
Ralph PetersAmerican military officer, writer, pundit · b. 1952
Ronald William GainerCatholic bishop · b. 1947
Elisha HoffmanAmerican minister, hymn composer · b. 1839
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

South Manheim TownshipIts storyCWest Brunswick Township1 historic placeA

Questions about Auburn’s history

What year was Auburn founded?

The Auburn post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1857.

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), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.