Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
The Great Bend post office opened in 1823, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1862.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Great Bend’s history is told.
Peaked at 1,136 in 1880; 627 people lived here in 2020.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Great Bend’s Wikipedia page.
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.
1885Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Great Bend.
Great Bend Borough was incorporated on November 19, 1861, from parts of Great Bend Township. Great Bend was named from a bend in the Susquehanna River.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Great Bend, cut from the printed page as they were published.
In 1853, when the church was built at Susquehanna, a new parish was created, called the Susquehanna parish. This was taken from the Silver Lake parish, and embraced Great Bend, New Milford and Nicholson. About 1872 Great Bend, New Milford and Nicholson were set off and Starrucca was annexed. From the origin of the church at this place until 1868, this parish was in the Philadelphia dio-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
McKinney built his storehouse just previous, and it was at his platform the first trains stopped. The first superintendent of the road was Kirkwood ; Mr. E. J. Loder succeeded him, and the station at Great Bend was first named after him — Lodersville — the name also of the post-office, while the village on the south side of the river retained its old name — Great Bend. The post-office mark of the latter is now Great Bend Village, to distinguish it from the borough.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
McKinney built his storehouse just previous, and it was at his platform the first trains stopped. The first superintendent of the road was ■ Kirkwood ; Mr. E. J. Loder succeeded him, and the station at Great Bend was first named after him — Lodersville — the name also of the post-office, while the village on the south side of the river retained its old name — Great Bend. The post-office mark of the latter is now Great Bend Village, to distinguish it from the borough.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
boro' and the river bridge at Susquehanna, and assisted in building the depots on the line of the road between that place and Port Jervis, and had charge of the erection of the depot at Great Bend. In fall and winter of 1849-50 he wentto Centre Village, N. Y., and completed a toll-bridge over the Susquehanna River, built a toll-house and also a hotel. In 1850 himself and father associated themselves together, under the
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereFanny DuBois Chase is born here
In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Susquehanna County - Great Bend - …
In the archiveRace Track and Great Bend, Pa., from DuBois' Drive
Born hereRay Kellogg is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey2 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Great Bend. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Great Bend.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Great Bend’s page.
Retake this view · +15Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The Great Bend post office opened in 1823, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1862.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
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