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–Not graded
History · Ehrenfeld

Ehrenfeld’s post office opened in 1892, and 70% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1890.

1892first post office
0on the National Register
70%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Chris Pickel · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Ehrenfeld began

When was Ehrenfeld founded?

1892

The Ehrenfeld post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1956.

First census: 567 in 18902020 census: 203134 years
Founding year: the first Ehrenfeld post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1956.The full story ↓

What stands out about Ehrenfeld’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 Ehrenfeld are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Ehrenfeld’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19044 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1981. Watch Ehrenfeld change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ehrenfeld’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ehrenfeld’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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The story

How Ehrenfeld came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ehrenfeld.

Read it all →

In 1901, General Electric Company built the first alternating current power plant at Ehrenfeld. The plant, designed to eliminate the difficulties in long-distance direct current transmission, was built for the Webster Coal and Coke Company.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Ehrenfeld on the map, 1904 to 1981

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

Ehrenfeld on the 1904 USGS mapEhrenfeld on the 1964 USGS mapEhrenfeld on the 1972 USGS mapEhrenfeld on the 1981 USGS map1904Johnstown 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 Ehrenfeld.

Timeline

Ehrenfeld, 1892 to 1972

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1892Post officeThe Ehrenfeld post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1972Post officeThe Ehrenfeld post office closes
By decade

Ehrenfeld, decade by decade

Today11 recent
Penn Street, Ehrenfeld, PA, Aug. 20242024Penn Street, Ehrenfeld, PA, Aug. 2024Mount Carmel Street church, Ehrenfeld, PA, Aug. 20242024Mount Carmel Street church, Ehrenfeld, PA, Aug. 2024Entering Ehrenfeld, PA on 2nd Street eb, Aug. 20242024Entering Ehrenfeld, PA on 2nd Street eb, Aug. 2024Ehrenfeld, PA park (2), Aug. 20242024Ehrenfeld, PA park (2), Aug. 2024Ehrenfeld, PA park (1), Aug. 20242024Ehrenfeld, PA park (1), Aug. 2024Ehrenfeld, PA borough hall (2), Aug. 20242024Ehrenfeld, PA borough hall (2), Aug. 2024Ehrenfeld, PA borough hall (1), Aug. 20242024Ehrenfeld, PA borough hall (1), Aug. 20242nd St., Ehrenfeld, PA (3), Aug. 202420242nd St., Ehrenfeld, PA (3), Aug. 20242nd St., Ehrenfeld, PA (2), Aug. 202420242nd St., Ehrenfeld, PA (2), Aug. 20242nd St., Ehrenfeld, PA (1), Aug. 202420242nd St., Ehrenfeld, PA (1), Aug. 2024Town2012Town
People over time

Ehrenfeld, census by census

01002003004005006001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 567

Between 203 and 567 people in every census since 1890.

8 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Ehrenfeld had its own post office from 1892 to 1972.

Ehrenfeld
1892–1972
18901960today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Croyle Township1 historic placeA−SummerhillIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Ehrenfeld’s history

What year was Ehrenfeld founded?

The Ehrenfeld post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1956.

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 (11), Wikipedia, 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.