Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Coal Center dates its founding to 1814 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Coal Center’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Coal Center.
Developed in 1814 as Greenfield, the Borough was incorporated under that name on April 9, 1834. Enlarged on March 21, 1874, it was renamed Coal Center in January 1883.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Coal Center. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Coal Center.
Passages that mention Coal Center, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Mr. Morgan was thirteen years old when he came first to Greenfield, now known as Coal Center, Washington ('ounty, and since 1851 has been a continuous resident of Coal Center and what is now the borough of California. He spent several years as clerk on different steamboats, mainly the old steamer Telegraph, on the Monongahela River, in his earlier business life and since then has been interested in the mercantile and coal busi-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The father of Mr. Eichardson, whose death occurred in 1905, was widely known as a hotel man. He conducted a hotel at Bentleyville from 1878 for several years; and at Coal Center from 1893 until 1896, when he came to California, and operated the Arlington Hotel for some years. His widow survives.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereSamuel J. Reader is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyPeaked at 816 in 1910; 110 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Coal Center’s Wikipedia page.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1814, according to Wikidata. Coal Center’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1880 counted 557 people here.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), 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 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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