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US 209 nb in Branchdale, PA (2), Aug. 2023Photo: 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
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History · Branchdale

Branchdale’s post office opened in 1850, and 86% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on.

1850first post office
0on the National Register
86%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
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

How Branchdale began

When was Branchdale founded?

1850

The Branchdale post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 328176 years
Founding year: the first Branchdale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Branchdale’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 Branchdale are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1999. Watch Branchdale change.Old housesHalf of Branchdale’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Branchdale’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Branchdale’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
On the map

Branchdale on the map, 1892 to 1999

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

Branchdale on the 1892 USGS mapBranchdale on the 1947 USGS mapBranchdale on the 1955 USGS mapBranchdale on the 1969 USGS mapBranchdale on the 1976 USGS mapBranchdale on the 1999 USGS map1892Pine Grove 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 Branchdale.

The story so far

Branchdale, in brief

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

Branchdale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Reilly Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 328 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1850. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 388 to 328 (-15%).

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

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.
Add from your album

Questions about Branchdale’s history

What year was Branchdale founded?

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

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 Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.