Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1862.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Gilpin Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gilpin Township is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gilpin Township’s overall grade.
Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Gilpin Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1814.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.7 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Gilpin Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally part of Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County, (Armstrong County effective November 1805) which was incorporated March 12, 1800, the area that is now Gilpin Township attracted settlers around 1812 due to its fertile soil, dense forests, and access to major rivers. Early families, including the Bolens, Coulters, and Klingensmiths, established homesteads, cleared land, and developed farms that would form the foundation of the township’s agrarian economy. The rivers served as vital transportation routes, allowing settlers to trade with neighboring communities and supporting early economic growth.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gilpin Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1907Freeport 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 Gilpin Township.
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.
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Armstrong County - ED 3-29, ED 3-30, ED 3-31, ED 3-32, E…, 1850
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Gilpin Township’s page.
In 1814, according to Wikidata. Gilpin Township’s post office opened in 1862, and the census of 1880 counted 1,190 people here.
How does Gilpin Township rank for history?
Gilpin Township is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Gilpin Township?
27% of Gilpin Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1958.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikidata (1), 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.
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