–Not graded

History · Big Run

Big Run dates to 1822, and 50% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1906 on, and the census since 1870.

1822founded

0on the National Register

50%homes built before 1940

1old photo or paper

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Big Run’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Big Run began

When was Big Run founded?

1822

Big Run dates its founding to 1822 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 206 in 18702020 census: 647204 years

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1854.

What stands out about Big Run’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,032 in 1910; 647 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Big Run’s homes were built before 1940.On the map since 19066 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1981. Watch Big Run change.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Big Run’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old view107 West Main, Big Run, PA - Feb. 13, 1…: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

People over time

Big Run, census by census

Peaked at 1,032 in 1910; 647 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

The story so far

Big Run, in brief

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

Big Run is a borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 624 at the 2010 census, a decline from the figure of 686 tabulated in 2000. The borough was named for the waterway of the same name.

Big Run was established in 1822. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 624 to 647 (+4%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Big Run in 1888

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

J. P. North taught the first term of school in the township in 1840 or 1 841 ; the first school-house was built on the Smith farm, and the first church in 1 87 1 at Panic ; the first saw-mill was built on Big Run, by William Best, in 1830 ; the first store was started in 1882 at Panic, by George Mo… — **History of Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers**1888 · page 665Read the page →
Read the text
J. P. North taught the first term of school in the township in 1840 or 1 841 ; the first school-house was built on the Smith farm, and the first church in 1 87 1 at Panic ; the first saw-mill was built on Big Run, by William Best, in 1830 ; the first store was started in 1882 at Panic, by George Morrison ; there has never been any hotels or grist-mills in the township ; the first lumber was taken out by John Smith and rafted on Sandy Lick, and the first coal was discovered on the farm of Lewis Elbel.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

**History of Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers**1888 · page 654Read the page →
Read the text
The first grist-mill was built by Frederick Spranlde, of Indiana county, about the year 1833, at the junction of the Big Run and Kellar's Run, who called the place Fredericksburg. The next grist-mill was built by Philip Enterline.
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

Big Run, 1822 to 1911

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

19th century
1822
FoundingBig Run is established
1854Post officeThe Big Run post office opens
20th century
1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1910CensusPopulation peaks at 1,032
1911In the archive107 West Main, Big Run, PA - Feb. 13, 1911

By decade

Big Run, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item

1911107 West Main, Big Run, PA - Feb. 13, 1911

1920s–1990snothing yet

Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Add from your album

Today13 recent

2012Big Run, Pennsylvania

On the map

Big Run on the map, 1906 to 1981

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

1906Punxsutawney 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 Big Run.

Every building

Big Run, building by building, 1910

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Big Run fire insurance map, 1910, sheet 1

1910Sheet 1 of 3

Sheets

+2 more at the Library of Congress

BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Retake this view107 West Main, Big Run, PA - Feb. 13, 1911, 1911

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Big Run’s page.

Retake this view · +15

Famous people

Famous people close to Big Run

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

See all →

Britt BakerAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1991

Joan ChittisterRoman Catholic nun, activist, writer and academ… · b. 1936

Charles H. MacDonaldAmerican flying ace · b. 1914

Devin MesoracoAmerican professional baseball player · b. 1988

Billy HunterAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1928

Donald C. BruceAmerican politician · b. 1921

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Gaskill TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Henderson TownshipIts storyB

Questions about Big Run’s history

What year was Big Run founded?

In 1822, according to Wikidata. Big Run’s post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1870 counted 206 people here.

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 (14), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.

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