Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Elgin

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Elgin

Elgin dates to 1800, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1929 on and the census since 1880.

1800founded
0on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Elgin began

When was Elgin founded?

1800

Elgin dates its founding to 1800 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 154 in 18802020 census: 204226 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1862.

What stands out about Elgin’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 Elgin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsEstablished in 1800: 226 years of Elgin.Old housesHalf of Elgin’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Elgin’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Elgin, 1800 to 1929

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1800
    FoundingElgin is established
  3. 1862Post officeThe Concord Station post office opens
  4. 1878Post officeThe Concord Station post office closes
  5. 1878Post officeThe Elgin post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1929On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story so far

Elgin, in brief

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

Elgin is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 204 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area. Places of recreation include Elgin Community Park. Elgin is home to the oldest borough building in Erie County. The community most likely was named after Elgin, Scotland.

Elgin was established in 1800. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 218 to 204 (-6%).

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

By decade

Elgin, decade by decade

Today9 recent
US 6 eb-PA 89 sb on border of Elgin and Wayne Township, June 20242024US 6 eb-PA 89 sb on border of Elgin and Wayne Townshi…Ranges Corners, PA, June 20242024Ranges Corners, PA, June 2024Main Street sb in Elgin, PA, June 20242024Main Street sb in Elgin, PA, June 2024Elgin-Beaverdam Volunteer Hose Company (2), June 20242024Elgin-Beaverdam Volunteer Hose Company (2), June 2024Elgin-Beaverdam Volunteer Hose Company (1), June 20242024Elgin-Beaverdam Volunteer Hose Company (1), June 2024Elgin, PA town hall, June 20242024Elgin, PA town hall, June 2024Elgin, PA post office, June 20242024Elgin, PA post office, June 2024Concord Cemetery, Elgin, PA, June 20242024Concord Cemetery, Elgin, PA, June 2024Elgin Community Park, Elgin Pa2012Elgin Community Park, Elgin Pa
On the map

Elgin on the map, 1929 to 1973

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

Elgin on the 1929 USGS mapElgin on the 1932 USGS mapElgin on the 1968 USGS mapElgin on the 1973 USGS map1929Corry 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 Elgin.

People over time

Elgin, census by census

010020018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 236

Between 138 and 236 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Elgin

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

See all →
Strong VincentUnion Army general · b. 1837
K
Karen SmyersTriathlete · b. 1961
Daisy BaconAmerican editor · b. 1898
J
James Alexander RobertsonUnited States historian · b. 1873
Tommy LeachAmerican baseball player · b. 1877
L
Lynn St. JohnAmerican football, basketball, and baseball coa… · b. 1876
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Elgin’s post office has been open since 1878. Another post office, Concord Station, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Concord Station
1862–1878
Elgin
1878–today
18601940today
1cemetery inside Elgin
Concord

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.

Concord TownshipIts storyB−Union TownshipIts storyB−Wayne TownshipIts storyB−

Questions about Elgin’s history

What year was Elgin founded?

In 1800, according to Wikidata. Elgin’s post office opened in 1862, and the census of 1880 counted 154 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 (9), 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.