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History · Brownstown

Brownstown was first counted by the census in 1890, and 52% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1890.

1890first census
0on the National Register
52%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Brownstown’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Brownstown began

When was Brownstown founded?

1890

Brownstown first appears in the census in 1890.

First census: 550 in 18902020 census: 696136 years
Founding year: the first census.

What stands out about Brownstown’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Brownstown’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,598 in 1940; 696 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19043 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1972. Watch Brownstown change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Brownstown’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brownstown’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewBig Conestoga Creek Bridge No. 12, Span…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Brownstown, in brief

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

Brownstown is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 744 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area and also part of Johnstown's urban area.

Its first post office opened in 1890. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 744 to 696 (-6%).

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

People over time

Brownstown, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,598

Peaked at 1,598 in 1940; 696 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Brownstown’s Wikipedia page.

By decade

Brownstown, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Big Conestoga Creek Bridge No. 12, Spanning Conestoga River at Farmersville Road (State Route 1010)Date?Big Conestoga Creek Bridge No. 12, Spanning Conestoga…
Today17 recent
Habicht near Gilbert in2015Habicht near Gilbert inBrownstown2015BrownstownBrownstown - panoramio (9)2015Brownstown - panoramio (9)Brownstown - panoramio (8)2015Brownstown - panoramio (8)Brownstown - panoramio (7)2015Brownstown - panoramio (7)Brownstown - panoramio (6)2015Brownstown - panoramio (6)Brownstown - panoramio (5)2015Brownstown - panoramio (5)Brownstown - panoramio (4)2015Brownstown - panoramio (4)Brownstown - panoramio (3)2015Brownstown - panoramio (3)Brownstown - panoramio (2)2015Brownstown - panoramio (2)Brownstown - panoramio (15)2015Brownstown - panoramio (15)Brownstown - panoramio (14)2015Brownstown - panoramio (14)Brownstown - panoramio (13)2015Brownstown - panoramio (13)Brownstown - panoramio (12)2015Brownstown - panoramio (12)Brownstown - panoramio (11)2015Brownstown - panoramio (11)Brownstown - panoramio (10)2015Brownstown - panoramio (10)Brownstown - panoramio (1)2015Brownstown - panoramio (1)
On the map

Brownstown on the map, 1904 to 1972

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

Brownstown on the 1904 USGS mapBrownstown on the 1964 USGS mapBrownstown on the 1972 USGS map1904Johnstown 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 Brownstown.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Big Conestoga Creek Bridge No. 12, Spanning Conestoga River at Farmersville Road (State Route 1010)
Retake this viewBig Conestoga Creek Bridge No. 12, Spanning Conestoga River at Farmersville Road (State Route 1010)

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Brownstown’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Lower Yoder TownshipIts storyB+WestwoodIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWestmont2 historic placesA

Questions about Brownstown’s history

What year was Brownstown founded?

The Brownstown post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1908.

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 Wikimedia Commons (17), the Library of Congress (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.