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History · Donaldson

Donaldson’s post office opened in 1846, and 62% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on.

1846first post office
0on the National Register
62%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Donaldson began

When was Donaldson founded?

1846

The Donaldson post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 377180 years
Founding year: the first Donaldson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Donaldson’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 Donaldson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18925 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1977. Watch Donaldson change.Old housesHalf of Donaldson’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsA post office since 1846: 180 years of Donaldson.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Donaldson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Donaldson’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Donaldson on the map, 1892 to 1977

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

Donaldson on the 1892 USGS mapDonaldson on the 1947 USGS mapDonaldson on the 1954 USGS mapDonaldson on the 1969 USGS mapDonaldson on the 1977 USGS map1892Pine Grove 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 Donaldson.

The story so far

Donaldson, in brief

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

Donaldson is a census-designated place (CDP) in Frailey Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 325 at the 2000 census.

Its first post office opened in 1846. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 328 to 377 (+15%).

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

By decade

Donaldson, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Pennsylvania State Route 1252011Pennsylvania State Route 125Pennsylvania State Route 1252011Pennsylvania State Route 125Pennsylvania State Route 1252011Pennsylvania State Route 125Donaldson, Pennsylvania2011Donaldson, PennsylvaniaDonaldson, Pennsylvania2011Donaldson, PennsylvaniaDonaldson, Pennsylvania2011Donaldson, Pennsylvania

Questions about Donaldson’s history

What year was Donaldson founded?

The Donaldson post office opened in 1846, 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 →
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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 (6), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people 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.