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History · Confluence

Confluence dates to 1870, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1880.

1870founded
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Confluence’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Confluence began

When was Confluence founded?

1870

Confluence dates its founding to 1870 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 430 in 18802020 census: 722156 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1871.

What stands out about Confluence’s past

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

Boom and bustPeaked at 1,037 in 1950; 722 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19225 editions of the USGS map, 1922 to 1994. Watch Confluence change.Old housesHalf of Confluence’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · People over time

Confluence, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,037

Peaked at 1,037 in 1950; 722 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

On the map

Confluence on the map, 1922 to 1994

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

Confluence on the 1922 USGS mapConfluence on the 1931 USGS mapConfluence on the 1967 USGS mapConfluence on the 1973 USGS mapConfluence on the 1994 USGS map1922Confluence 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 Confluence.

The story so far

Confluence, in brief

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

Confluence is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was settled in 1870 and incorporated in 1873. The population was 724 at the 2020 census.

Confluence was established in 1870. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 780 to 722 (-7%).

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

Timeline

Confluence, 1754 to 1993

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1754In the archiveTurkey Foot area map by G Washington
  3. 19th century
  4. 1870
    FoundingConfluence is established
  5. 1871Post officeThe Confluence post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1905In the archiveConfluence, Pennsylvania 1905
  8. 1922On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1940In the archiveRailroad depot
  10. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,037
  11. 1993In the archiveUSACE Youghiogheny Lake and Dam
By decade

Confluence, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1750s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1750s1 item
Turkey Foot area map by G Washington1754Turkey Foot area map by G WashingtonMap
1900s2 items
Confluence, Pennsylvania 19051905Confluence, Pennsylvania 1905LOC 1905 birds eye1905LOC 1905 birds eye
1910s–1930snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1940s1 item
Railroad depot1940Railroad depot
1950s–1980snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1990s1 item
USACE Youghiogheny Lake and Dam1993USACE Youghiogheny Lake and Dam
Today1 recent
GAP Rail to Trail in Fort Hill trail access2020GAP Rail to Trail in Fort Hill trail access
Every building

Confluence, building by building, 1901–1907

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.

Confluence fire insurance map, 1901, sheet 11901Sheet 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.

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.

Confluence, Pennsylvania 1905
Retake this viewConfluence, Pennsylvania 1905, 1905

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Confluence

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

See all →
Tamora PierceAmerican writer of fantasy novels for children … · b. 1954
Lot ThomasAmerican politician · b. 1843
George C. EdwardsAmerican politician · b. 1948
F
Francis MorrisonMedal of Honor recipient · b. 1845
L
Larry CritchfieldAmerican football player · b. 1908
L
Lydia BeachyAmerican quilter · b. 1863
Help out

Finish Confluence’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewConfluence, Pennsylvania 1905: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Lower Turkeyfoot Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHenry Clay TownshipIts storyC+Addison Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Confluence’s history

What year was Confluence founded?

In 1870, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Confluence’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1880 counted 430 people here.

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 (5), the Library of Congress (1), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.