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History · Carrolltown

Carrolltown’s post office opened in 1849, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1860.

1849first post office
0on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Carrolltown began

When was Carrolltown founded?

1849

The Carrolltown post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1858.

First census: 249 in 18602020 census: 1,051177 years
Founding year: the first Carrolltown post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1858.

What stands out about Carrolltown’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 Carrolltown are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19023 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1972. Watch Carrolltown change.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,525 in 1960; 1,051 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Carrolltown’s homes were built before 1947.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Carrolltown’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Carrolltown’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

Carrolltown on the map, 1902 to 1972

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

Carrolltown on the 1902 USGS mapCarrolltown on the 1961 USGS mapCarrolltown on the 1972 USGS map1902Patton 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 Carrolltown.

People over time

Carrolltown, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,600190019502000Peak: 1,525

Peaked at 1,525 in 1960; 1,051 people lived here in 2020.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

The story so far

Carrolltown, in brief

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

Carrolltown is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Carrolltown had a population of 1,051. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Its first post office opened in 1849. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 853 to 1,051 (+23%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Carrolltown in 1907

Passages that mention Carrolltown, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Frankstown to what is now known as Kittanning Point on the Pennsylvania railroad, where there are two gaps. The Kittanning trail was in the northeasterly gap and passed through Clearfield township, Hart's Sleeping Place, near Carrolltown, thence through Susquehanna township to Kittanning. This road…
History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania1907 · page 93Read the page →
Read the text

Frankstown to what is now known as Kittanning Point on the Pennsylvania railroad, where there are two gaps. The Kittanning trail was in the northeasterly gap and passed through Clearfield township, Hart's Sleeping Place, near Carrolltown, thence through Susquehanna township to Kittanning. This road was not in use in 1816, excepting through the Burgoon Gap, the

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

Carrolltown, 1849 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1849Post officeThe Carrolltown post office opens
  3. 1856Born hereLawrence Flick is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1960Born hereVictoria Lipnic is born here
  7. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 1,525
By decade

Carrolltown, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Carrolltown, PA post office, Aug. 20242024Carrolltown, PA post office, Aug. 2024Carrolltown St. Benedict's Church2015Carrolltown St. Benedict's Church
Every building

Carrolltown, building by building, 1898–1910

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.

Carrolltown fire insurance map, 1898, sheet 11898Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Carrolltown

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Lawrence FlickAmerican medical researcher · b. 1856
Victoria LipnicAmerican lawyer · b. 1960
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

West Carroll TownshipIts storyB+East Carroll TownshipIts storyB

Questions about Carrolltown’s history

What year was Carrolltown founded?

The Carrolltown post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1858.

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 (2), 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.