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 Hawk Run began
When was Hawk Run founded?
1892
The Hawk Run post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name.
2020 census: 474134 years
Founding year: the first Hawk Run post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
What stands out about Hawk Run’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hawk Run. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1922Philipsburg 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 Hawk Run.
The story so far
Hawk Run, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hawk Run yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hawk Run is a census-designated place located in Morris Township, Clearfield County, in the state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census the population was 474. It is located on the north side of Moshannon Creek, the Clearfield/Centre County boundary, approximately 3 miles (5 km) north of Philipsburg via Pennsylvania Route 53.
Its first post office opened in 1892. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 534 to 474 (-11%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Hawk Run in 1887
Passages that mention Hawk Run, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania1887 · page 104Read the page →
Read the text
The Morrisdale starts from a point north of Philipsburg, and runs north in the direction of Morrisdale mines. The Hawk Run is a branch of the last named, and follows the stream called Hawk Run. These are the leading branches of the Tyrone and Clearfield railroad, all of which are a part of what is known as the Pennsylvania railway system. Many of them have been extended as necessity required in connection with the vast coal mining operations of the region.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Clearfield County Pennsylvania1887Read the page →
Read the text
The Morrisdale starts from a point north of Philipsburg, and runs north in the direction of Mo?risdale mines. The Hawk Run is a branch of the last named, and follows the stream called Hawk Run. These are the leading branches of the Tyrone and Clearfield railroad, all of which are a part of what is known as the Pennsylvania railway system. Many of them have been extended as necessity required in connection with the vast coal mining operations of the region.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania1887 · page 226Read the page →
Read the text
The year 1881 was productive of new collieries. On August 22 of that year the Empire Coal Co. commenced to ship from their colliery " Empire," situated on the Pardee Branch. This connected with the Morrisdale Branch at Hawk Run. The coal from this mine is now being shipped over the Beech Creek Railroad, the Pardee Branch becoming a part of the Philipsburg Branch of that road.
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
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
