On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Greenfield Township is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #728 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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 Greenfield 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 Greenfield 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.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.1 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Greenfield Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Greenfield Township
Claysburg UnionFairviewLower Claar Church of the BrethrenMount HopeOld ClaysburgSproul Union
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Greenfield Township on the map, 1902 to 1981
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Greenfield Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Ebensburg 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 Greenfield Township.
The story so far
Greenfield Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Greenfield Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Greenfield Township is a township in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,785 at the 2020 census.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 4,173 to 3,788 (-9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Greenfield Township in 1911
Passages that mention Greenfield Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania1911 · page 730Read the page →
Read the text
Harry E. Bowser was reared and educated in Greenfield Township, and attended what is known as the Barkhimer school of this township. He subsequently engaged in agricultural pursuits in Greenfield Township, until March i, 1905, when he entered the mercantile business at Butlerville, and has also served continuously during that time as postmaster
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania1911 · page 825Read the page →
Read the text
ably been more frequently elected to responsible township offices than any other resident. Eor several years he served as constable of Greenfield Township, for ten years served as township clerk, for some years as road tax collector, for more years as treasurer and in 1890 was elected justice of the peace, in which office he has served
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.
Timeline
Greenfield Township, 1879 to 1931
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Greenfield Township is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #728 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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 Greenfield Township?
24% of Greenfield Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (3), 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 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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