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History · Driftwood

Driftwood dates to 1804, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1945 on, and the census since 1880.

1804founded
0on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Driftwood’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Driftwood began

When was Driftwood founded?

1804

Driftwood dates its founding to 1804 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 504 in 18802020 census: 38222 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1868.The full story ↓

What stands out about Driftwood’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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 628 in 1890; 38 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1804: 222 years of Driftwood.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Driftwood’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewCurtain House, hotel near Bucktail Monu…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Driftwood, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 628

Peaked at 628 in 1890; 38 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Timeline

Driftwood, 1804 to 1945

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1804
    FoundingDriftwood is established
  3. 1868Post officeThe Driftwood post office opens
  4. 1869Born hereMike Roach is born here
  5. 1876Born hereGarrett Cochran is born here
  6. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 628
  7. 20th century
  8. 1908In the archiveCurtain House, hotel near Bucktail Monument
  9. 1945On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Driftwood came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Driftwood.

Read it all →

The community takes its name from Driftwood Branch Sinnemahoning Creek (in older sources called "Driftwood Creek").

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Driftwood, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s2 items
Curtain House, hotel near Bucktail Monument1908Curtain House, hotel near Bucktail MonumentBucktail Monument1908Bucktail Monument
1910s–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
Date unknown1 to date
Castle Garden Bridge, Township Route 343 over Bennetts Branch of Sinnemahoning CreekDate?Castle Garden Bridge, Township Route 343 over Bennett…
Today13 recent
St. James Church, Driftwood, PA, Aug. 20242024St. James Church, Driftwood, PA, Aug. 2024PA 555 eb in Driftwood (2), Aug. 20242024PA 555 eb in Driftwood (2), Aug. 2024PA 555 eb in Driftwood (1), Aug. 20242024PA 555 eb in Driftwood (1), Aug. 2024PA 555 eb entering Driftwood (2), Aug. 20242024PA 555 eb entering Driftwood (2), Aug. 2024PA 555 eb entering Driftwood (1), Aug. 20242024PA 555 eb entering Driftwood (1), Aug. 2024PA 555 eastern terminus at PA 120, Aug. 20242024PA 555 eastern terminus at PA 120, Aug. 2024Driftwood, PA post office, Aug. 20242024Driftwood, PA post office, Aug. 2024Driftwood, PA Bucktail Monument Park, Aug. 20242024Driftwood, PA Bucktail Monument Park, Aug. 2024Pennsylvania State Route 5552013Pennsylvania State Route 555Pennsylvania State Route 5552013Pennsylvania State Route 555Pennsylvania State Route 5552013Pennsylvania State Route 555Pennsylvania State Route 1202013Pennsylvania State Route 120Pennsylvania State Route 1202013Pennsylvania State Route 120
On the map

Driftwood on the map, 1945 to 1971

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

Driftwood on the 1945 USGS mapDriftwood on the 1971 USGS map1945Driftwood sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Driftwood.

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.

Curtain House, hotel near Bucktail Monument
Retake this viewCurtain House, hotel near Bucktail Monument, 1908

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Driftwood

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Mike RoachAmerican baseball player · b. 1869
Garrett CochranAmerican football player · b. 1876

Questions about Driftwood’s history

What year was Driftwood founded?

In 1804, according to Wikidata. Driftwood’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1880 counted 504 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 (13), the Library of Congress (3), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.