Most of Elysburg was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1850 on and old-book passages.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Elysburg yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Elysburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ralpho Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is forty-two miles north-northeast of Harrisburg. The population was 2,194 at the 2010 census. The area's biggest attraction is Knoebels Amusement Resort, which is known for having three wooden roller coasters and free admission.
Its first post office opened in 1831. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,194 in 2010, 2,152 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Elysburg in 1891
Passages that mention Elysburg, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania1891 · page 798Read the page →
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were Charles Stock and William H. Muench; the latter taught twenty-four years. At an early date Obadiah Campbell built a log school house on land now owned by Joseph Ent. He also gave the ground for the first school house at Elysburg, and reenforced this generous donation with a liberal subscription; the building occupied the site of the present school house in that village, and William Cimningham, Rev. Samuel Henderson, Joseph Campbell, and David Anderson were among the first teachers. The congregation of St. Peter's church erected a brick school house at an early date
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History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, including its aboriginal history1891 · page 798Read the page →
Read the text
were Charles Stock and William H. Muench ; the latter taught twenty-four years. At an early date Obadiah Campbell built a log school house on land now owned by Joseph Ent. He also gave the ground for the first school house at Elysburg, and re -enforced this generous donation with a liberal subscription; the building occupied the site of the present school house in that village, and William Cunningham, Eev. Samuel Henderson, Joseph Campbell, and David Anderson were among the first teachers. The congregation of St. Peter's church erected a brick school house at an early date
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, including its aboriginal history1891 · page 797Read the page →
Read the text
Settlements were attempted in this section prior to the Eevolutionary war, but none proved successful until 1779, when O.badiah Campbell, a native of New Jersey and a soldier of the Eevolution, immigrated to the vicinity of Elysburg, where he secured a tract of four hundred acres. About the same time or a few years later, Jacob Pensyl, who had previously settled at the site of Shamokin, established himself upon a tract of two hundred acres in Ealpho township. William P. Kaseman, Peter Demmig (Dimmick), Peter Haas, Henry Fisher, and the Geiger family were also among the pioneers.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Elysburg, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1850s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 (3), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1850
2017
2014