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History · Herminie

Herminie’s post office opened in 1894, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1904 on.

1894first post office
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Herminie began

When was Herminie founded?

1894

The Herminie post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 718132 years
Founding year: the first Herminie post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Herminie’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Herminie are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19044 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1979. Watch Herminie change.Old housesHalf of Herminie’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Herminie’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Herminie’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Herminie on the map, 1904 to 1979

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Herminie. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Herminie on the 1904 USGS mapHerminie on the 1953 USGS mapHerminie on the 1969 USGS mapHerminie on the 1979 USGS map1904Greensburg 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 Herminie.

The story

How Herminie came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Herminie.

Read it all →

Herminie (pronounced hurr-many) is named for Herminie Berwind, whose husband, Charles Berwind, was President of the Ocean Coal Company. The first mine at Herminie, known as the "Ocean No. 1 Mine," was opened in 1893 by Berwind-White Coal Company, of which Ocean Coal Company was a subsidiary. Fifty double houses were built for miners, plus five single-family houses for managers on Church Street. By 1900, the mine employed 271 people.

Chapters1974 Herminie auto-truck collision

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Herminie, 1904 to 1931

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1930Born hereAnthony Herbert is born here
  4. 1931Born hereSonny Clark is born here
By decade

Herminie, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Sewickley Avenue at 3rd Street2020Sewickley Avenue at 3rd StreetHerminie Pennsylvania 20112011Herminie Pennsylvania 2011
Every building

Herminie, building by building, 1916

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 sheet.

Herminie fire insurance map, 1916, sheet 11916Sheet 1 of 4
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Herminie

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
S
Sonny ClarkAmerican jazz pianist · b. 1931
A
Anthony HerbertUnited States Army officer · b. 1930

Questions about Herminie’s history

What year was Herminie founded?

The Herminie post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.