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History · Cairnbrook

Cairnbrook’s post office opened in 1914, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: 4 old photos and papers and maps from 1914 on.

1914first post office
1on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Cairnbrook’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Cairnbrook began

When was Cairnbrook founded?

1914

The Cairnbrook post office opened in 1914, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 505112 years
Founding year: the first Cairnbrook post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Cairnbrook’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 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Cairnbrook’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cairnbrook’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cairnbrook’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 photo4 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewTown of Cairnbrook: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Cairnbrook, in brief

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

Cairnbrook is a census-designated place and coal town in Shade Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The community is located along Pennsylvania Route 160 within a mile of the borough of Central City. As of the 2010 census, the population was 520 residents.

Its first post office opened in 1914. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 520 to 505 (-3%).

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

By decade

Cairnbrook, decade by decade

Date unknown4 to date
Town of CairnbrookDate?Town of CairnbrookLoyal Hanna Coal & Coke Company, Machine ShopDate?Loyal Hanna Coal & Coke Company, Machine ShopLoyal Hanna Coal & Coke Company, Mule BarnDate?Loyal Hanna Coal & Coke Company, Mule BarnLoyal Hanna Coal & Coke Company, Office, First Street & McGregor AvenueDate?Loyal Hanna Coal & Coke Company, Office, First Street…
On the map

Cairnbrook on the map, 1914 to 1944

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

Cairnbrook on the 1914 USGS mapCairnbrook on the 1944 USGS map1914Windber 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 Cairnbrook.

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.

Town of Cairnbrook
Retake this viewTown of Cairnbrook

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 listing protects 132 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
132
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Cairnbrook

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

See all →
Ashley MillerAmerican screenwriter and producer · b. 1971
Augustine B. KelleyAmerican politician · b. 1883
Bo BassettAmerican wrestler · b. 2006
Rush ClarkAmerican politician · b. 1834
A
Alexander RatiuRomanian Greek-Catholic priest · b. 1916
F
Frank KostroAmerican baseball player · b. 1937

Questions about Cairnbrook’s history

What year was Cairnbrook founded?

The Cairnbrook post office opened in 1914, 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 the Library of Congress (4) 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.