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–Not graded
History · Eldred

Eldred dates to 1815, and 60% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1880.

1815founded
0on the National Register
60%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Eldred’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Eldred began

When was Eldred founded?

1815

Eldred dates its founding to 1815 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 1,165 in 18802020 census: 765211 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1880.

What stands out about Eldred’s past

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

A town in old photos18 old photos, postcards and papers.Old housesHalf of Eldred’s homes were built before 1938.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1888 to 1909, drew every building in Eldred.Deep rootsEstablished in 1815: 211 years of Eldred.
★ What stands out · By decade

Eldred, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s18 items
Allegheny River Viaduct Junction Route 346 and 446 Eldred, Pa (67283)c. 1930Allegheny River Viaduct Junction Route 346 and 446 El…The First National Bank, Eldred, Pa (68684)c. 1930The First National Bank, Eldred, Pa (68684)The First National Bank, Eldred, Pa (68685)c. 1930The First National Bank, Eldred, Pa (68685)The Kendall Station, Eldred Junction, Eldred, Pa., Philip Todd, Prop (67196)c. 1930The Kendall Station, Eldred Junction, Eldred, Pa., Ph…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040681939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040691939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040701939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040711939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040721939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040731939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040741939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040751939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040761939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040771939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040781939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040791939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040801939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a040811939Vernon H. Brown, residence in Eldred, Pennsylvania. L…
1940s–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
The story so far

Eldred, in brief

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

Eldred is a borough in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 765 at the 2020 census.

Eldred was established in 1815. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 825 to 765 (-7%).

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

Every building

Eldred, building by building, 1888–1909

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Eldred fire insurance map, 1888, sheet 11888Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Eldred, 1815 to 1933

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1815
    FoundingEldred is established
  3. 1880Post officeThe Eldred post office opens
  4. 1886Born hereMilo Netzel is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1930In the archiveAllegheny River Viaduct Junction Route 346 and 446 Eldred, Pa (67283)
  7. 1933On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
On the map

Eldred on the map, 1933 to 1981

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

Eldred on the 1933 USGS mapEldred on the 1969 USGS mapEldred on the 1981 USGS map1933Smethport 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 Eldred.

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.

Allegheny River Viaduct Junction Route 346 and 446 Eldred, Pa (67283)
Retake this viewAllegheny River Viaduct Junction Route 346 and 446 Eldred, Pa (67283), c. 1930

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Eldred, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,235

Between 765 and 1,235 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Help out

Finish Eldred’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAllegheny River Viaduct Junction Route …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Eldred’s history

What year was Eldred founded?

In 1815, according to Wikidata. Eldred’s post office opened in 1880, and the census of 1880 counted 1,165 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 (18), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.