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–Not graded
History · Drifting

Drifting’s post office opened in 1895, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1929 on.

1895first post office
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Drifting’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Drifting began

When was Drifting founded?

1895

The Drifting post office opened in 1895, the earliest record of the town by name.

131 years
Founding year: the first Drifting post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Drifting’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Drifting’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Drifting’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Drifting, in brief

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

Drifting is an unincorporated community in Cooper Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community is located along Pennsylvania Route 53, 8.3 miles (13.4 km) west of Snow Shoe. Drifting has a post office with ZIP code 16834, which opened on December 6, 1895.

Its first post office opened in 1895.

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

By decade

Drifting, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s1 item
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Clearfield County - Cooper - ED 17-27, ED 17-28, ED 17-2918801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania …
1890s–1990snothing 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
On the map

Drifting on the map, 1929 to 1981

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

Drifting on the 1929 USGS mapDrifting on the 1932 USGS mapDrifting on the 1959 USGS mapDrifting on the 1971 USGS mapDrifting on the 1981 USGS map1929Karthaus 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 Drifting.

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.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Clearfield County - Cooper - ED 17-27, ED 17-28, ED 17-29
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Clearfield County - Cooper - ED 17-27, ED 17-28, ED 17-29, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Drifting

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

See all →
Don Hilary GingeryAmerican politician · b. 1884
A
Austin HarrierAmerican politician · b. 1912
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

GrassflatIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Drifting’s history

What year was Drifting founded?

The Drifting post office opened in 1895, 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 →
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 (1) 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.