Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: old-book passages.
Cranesville dates its founding to 1800 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1833.
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 Cranesville’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Cranesville.
Cranesville was named after its founder, Fowler Crane. On May 31, 1985, the borough was devastated by a F4 tornado, which killed three people in Cranesville and another nine in nearby Albion.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Cranesville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Probably the first school in the township was taught by Maxon Randall, in his log cabin a mile north of Cranesville, about 1815. One and a half miles south of Wellsburg stood a log schoolhouse in which Miss Becky Reese taught about 1817. Immediately south of Wellsburg a Mr. Higgins taught about 1820.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
lake near North East, to Colt's Station, and from the latter place to the Forks of French Creek, or Wattsburg, late in the season of 1798. The Eastern road through Greenfield, from North East to Wattsburg, was laid out about 1800; the ones from Waterford to Cranesville through Washington Township, and from Waterford to Bdinboro, about 1802, and the road from North East to Waterford, by way of Phillipsville, in 1804.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Cranesville was founded by Fowler Crane, son of Elihu Crane, the first settler on the site, who laid out the village, and put up a hotel, store and ashery. It lies in the valley of the East branch of Conneaut creek, a mile north of Wellsburg, and a mile northeast of Albion, at the cro-sing of the Crane road by the Girard and Meadville road, and almost on
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Cranesville was founded by Fowler Crane, son of Elihu Crane, the first settler on the site, who laid out the village, and put up a hotel, store and ashery. In lies in the valley of the East Branch of Conneaut Creek, a mile north of Wellsburg, and a mile northeast of Albion, at the crossing of the Crane road by the Girard & Meadville road, and almost on the Conneaut line. The valley at Cranesville widens out more than at Wellsburg, and the village stands chiefly on the upland overlooking the stream, in rather a pleasant location. The old Erie Canal passed through the village, and is watered by Crane
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.
Nobody well known was born in Cranesville itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1800, according to Wikidata. Cranesville’s post office opened in 1833.
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 (6), 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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