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History · Black Township

Black Township dates to 1774, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1921 on.

1774founded
0on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Black Township began

When was Black Township founded?

1774

Black Township dates its founding to 1774 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1872.

2020 census: 905252 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1872.

What stands out about Black Township’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 Black Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Black Township, and 7 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19216 editions of the USGS map, 1921 to 1981. Watch Black Township change.Older than the countryEstablished in 1774, 2 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Black Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Black Township’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
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Milford Station
1872–1913
Blackfield
1915–1919
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BlackfieldMarkletonMilfordMurdockRockwood StationShamrockWilson Creek
Gone or out of use
Base Rock QuarrymineMcGregor MinesmineSaint Marks ChurchchurchWilson Creek Minesmine

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

On the map

Black Township on the map, 1921 to 1981

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

Black Township on the 1921 USGS mapBlack Township on the 1939 USGS mapBlack Township on the 1944 USGS mapBlack Township on the 1968 USGS mapBlack Township on the 1973 USGS mapBlack Township on the 1981 USGS map1921Meyersdale 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 Black Township.

The story so far

Black Township, in brief

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

Black Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 899 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The township was named for Jeremiah Sullivan Black, a native of Somerset County who became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney General, and U.S Secretary of State.

Black Township was established in 1774. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 926 to 905 (-2%).

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

Timeline

Black Township, 1774 to 1921

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1774
    FoundingBlack Township is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1872Post officeThe Milford Station post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1913Post officeThe Milford Station post office closes
  7. 1915Post officeThe Blackfield post office opens
  8. 1919Post officeThe Blackfield post office closes
  9. 1921On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Black Township

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

See all →
D
Dave VescioAmerican actor · b. 1970
John Charles ThomasAmerican opera singer · b. 1890
Joseph C. PringeyAmerican politician · b. 1858
Pete ZornAmerican musician · b. 1950
Alexander Hamilton CoffrothAmerican politician · b. 1828
Jacob Miller CampbellUnion United States Army officer · b. 1821
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Milford TownshipIts storyCAddison Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSummit Township1 historic placeAUpper Turkeyfoot TownshipIts storyBSomerset Township2 historic placesA−Rockwood1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCasselmanIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBrothersvalley Township1 historic placeA

Questions about Black Township’s history

What year was Black Township founded?

In 1774, according to Wikidata. Black Township’s post office opened in 1872.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.