Its Register listing is the Brockwayville Passenger Depot, Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Brockway’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brockway is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brockway’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 Brockway’s 4.6 sits above most of its state (66% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.3 points). Two sources give 1822.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Brockway’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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 year, then a sheet.
The community was laid out as "Brockwayville" in 1836. The borough was named for Alonzo and John S. Brockway, who came to the site in 1822. A post office called "Brockwayville" was established in 1829, and the name of the post office was changed to "Brockway" in 1925.
The Brockwayville Passenger Depot, Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Passages that mention Brockway, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1888 · page 41Read the page →
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with "bolts," in the saw-mill, which answered tlie requirements of the few settlers for a while, and afterward built a good grist-mill, which did good service for the people, until the great flood of 1847 carried it off." In 1821 Isaac Horton, Alanson Viall, Hezekiah Warner, and Chauncy Brockway settled on Brandy Camp. In 1821 John S. Brockway purchased at treasurer's sale, at Indiana, the " Henry Peffer tract" on Little Toby, and the next year Alonzo and James M. Brockway moved over from Bennett's Branch and commenced improvements on the land. They had to cut their way five miles down the
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 pioneers1888 · page 549Read the page →
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four dollars per thousand. Though this first venture almost proved a failure, the business was prosecated with renewed vigor from year to year, and as it was the only business that brought money into the township, the timber was ruthlessly sacrificed. In 1828 John S., Alonzo and James M. Brockway, built a saw-mill, and about the same time the mill about three miles above Brockway's, called the " Balltown mill," was built by Isaac Horton, Chauncy Brockway, Hezekiah and L. Warner and Alanson Vial.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A pioneer history of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania and my first recollections of Brookville, Pennsylvania, 1840-1843,1898 · page 468Read the page →
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Dr. William Bennett built one of the first saw-mills in the township. In 1836, Hoyt and Wilson built a mill where Ferman's is now. In 1841, James Pendleton built a saw-mill, grist-mill, and carding-mill on Rattlesnake. Early school-teachers were Miss Clarissa Brockway, A. M. Clarke, John Kyler, and Mary Warner. 1 he first township election was held in 1 835 at what is now Matthew Bovard's, and the following officers were elected, — viz. : Constable, Myron Gibbs ; Supervisors, John McLaughlin, Ami Sibley ; Auditors, Milton
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
Brockway, 1822 to 1962
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Brockway’s post office has been open since 1925. Another post office, Brockwayville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Brockwayville
1829–1925
Brockway
1925–today
18201920today
1cemetery inside Brockway
Wildwood
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Brockway’s history
What year was Brockway founded?
In 1822, according to Wikidata. Brockway’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1880 counted 360 people here.
How does Brockway rank for history?
Brockway is more historic than 90% 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.
What is on the National Register in Brockway?
One place: the Brockwayville Passenger Depot, Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad (listed 2003).
How old are the homes in Brockway?
46% of Brockway’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1945.
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 Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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