Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers
About Bigler Township’s history
How historic is Bigler Township?
B
More historic than 65% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bigler Township is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bigler Township’s overall grade.
Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bigler Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.9 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Bigler Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bigler Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1903Houtzdale 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 Bigler Township.
The story so far
Bigler Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bigler Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bigler is a census-designated place located in Bradford Township, Clearfield County in the state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 356. Its location is 9 miles (14 km) east of Clearfield and 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Philipsburg on U.S. Route 322. Bigler was originally known as Williams Grove, but was renamed because the mail was being confused with another Williams Grove, in Cumberland County. As Governor William Bigler was from Clearfield, Pennsylvania, the county seat of Clearfield County, Bigler was named after him.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,289 to 1,238 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Bigler Township in 1911
Passages that mention Bigler Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania1911 · page 378Read the page →
Read the text
school advantages in his youth and is, more or less, a self educated and self made man. He was variously engaged for a number of years and came to Bigler Township in 1879. In 1900 he was appointed constable and subsequently was elected to the office in which he served until 1907. He was elected assessor of Bigler Township, on the Republican ticket, in
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
Bigler Township, 1861 to 1919
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Bigler Township is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Bigler Township?
39% of Bigler Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1955.
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).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
