Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bowmanstown yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bowmanstown is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, Bowmanstown had a population of 889. The borough is at an elevation of 437 feet (133 m). It is located 3 miles (5 km) west of Palmerton and 4 miles (6 km) south of Lehighton off Pennsylvania Route 248.
Bowmanstown was established in 1808. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 937 to 889 (-5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
On the map
Bowmanstown on the map, 1922 to 1992
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bowmanstown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1922Lehighton 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 Bowmanstown.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Bowmanstown, 1913–1918
Passages that mention Bowmanstown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Carbon County, Pennsylvania1913 · page 360Read the page →
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John Balliet was an extensive real estate holder and was the owner of Balliet 's charcoal furnace at Ashfield. He conducted the first store in Bowmanstown, was the owner of the Bowmanstown Hotel and was interested in various business and industrial enterprises in the Lehigh Valley. He died Jan. 5, 1886.
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History of Carbon County, Pennsylvania1918 · page 185Read the page →
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Bowmanstown, which is a neat and prosperous village, and which was recently incorporated as a borough, derives its name from John Deter Bowman, who
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In 1856 a German Catholic congregation built a church a short distance from Bowmanstown. This building was destroyed by fire some years ago, after which worship was conducted in the old school house.
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History of Carbon County, Pennsylvania1913 · page 252Read the page →
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In 1856 a German Catholic congregation built a church a short distance from Bowmanstown. This building was destroyed by fire some years ago, after which worship was conducted in the old school house.
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
Bowmanstown, 1808 to 1922
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
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