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B−History
History · Burnside Township

Burnside Township dates to 1874, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 49% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: maps from 1906 on and the census since 1880.

1874founded
0on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Burnside Township began

When was Burnside Township founded?

1874

Burnside Township dates its founding to 1874 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 279 in 18802020 census: 1,055152 years

How historic is Burnside Township?

B−

More historic than 49% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1861.
History grade

What drives Burnside Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Burnside Township is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Burnside Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1874, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194031.2% of homes (±6.6) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%ANational RegisterNo listings counted · typical PA town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 49%
NewerOlder

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 Burnside Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1874.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points).

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 Burnside 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 Burnside Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Burnside Township, and 5 old place names are still on the map.Boom and bustPeaked at 647 in 1900; 188 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19067 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1994. Watch Burnside Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Burnside Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Burnside 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, places now gone and burying grounds

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

Patchinsville
1861–1908
East Ridge
1862–1875
Sylvis
1883–1905
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Dowler JunctionHarmonyPatchinvilleStifflertownSylvis
Gone or out of use
Crossroads SchoolschoolDeer Run SchoolschoolElklick SchoolschoolHarmony Schoolschool
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Burnside Township
East RidgeHarmonyMount JoyPatchinvilleUnited Brethren in Christ Church

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

People over time

Burnside Township, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 647

Peaked at 647 in 1900; 188 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

Burnside Township, in brief

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

Burnside is a borough that is located in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 188 at thetime of the 2020 census.

Burnside Township was established in 1874. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,076 in 2010, 1,055 in 2020.

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

Timeline

Burnside Township, 1861 to 1908

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1861Post officeThe Patchinsville post office opens
  3. 1862Post officeThe East Ridge post office opens
  4. 1874
    FoundingBurnside Township is established
  5. 1875Post officeThe East Ridge post office closes
  6. 1883Post officeThe Sylvis post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 647
  9. 1905Post officeThe Sylvis post office closes
  10. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1908Post officeThe Patchinsville post office closes
By decade

Burnside Township, decade by decade

Today4 recent
US 219 nb in Burnside Boro, PA (2), Aug. 20242024US 219 nb in Burnside Boro, PA (2), Aug. 2024US 219 nb in Burnside Boro, PA (1), Aug. 20242024US 219 nb in Burnside Boro, PA (1), Aug. 2024Burnside Bible Church, PA, Aug. 20242024Burnside Bible Church, PA, Aug. 2024Irvin-Patchin House2015Irvin-Patchin House
On the map

Burnside Township on the map, 1906 to 1994

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

Burnside Township on the 1906 USGS mapBurnside Township on the 1939 USGS mapBurnside Township on the 1942 USGS mapBurnside Township on the 1968 USGS mapBurnside Township on the 1973 USGS mapBurnside Township on the 1981 USGS mapBurnside Township on the 1994 USGS map1906Punxsutawney 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 Burnside Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Burnside Township

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

See all →
Edgar M. CortrightSenior NASA official-administrator and engineer… · b. 1923
Melvin L. BrownUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1931
Boyd WagnerUnited States Army Air Forces flying ace · b. 1916
F
Fern MichaelsAmerican writer · b. 1933
Mike MenoskyBaseball player · b. 1894
E
Everett B. CampAmerican football player and coach · b. 1867
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Bell Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBurnside1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNew WashingtonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWestover1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMontgomery TownshipIts storyB−Chest TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCherry TreeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSusquehanna TownshipIts storyB

Questions about Burnside Township’s history

What year was Burnside Township founded?

In 1874, according to Wikidata. Burnside Township’s post office opened in 1861, and the census of 1880 counted 279 people here.

How does Burnside Township rank for history?

Burnside Township is more historic than 49% 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.

How old are the homes in Burnside Township?

31% of Burnside Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1976.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (4), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.