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History · Hookstown

Hookstown dates to 1797, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1860.

1797founded
0on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Hookstown began

When was Hookstown founded?

1797

Hookstown dates its founding to 1797 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 296 in 18602020 census: 129229 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1818.The full story ↓

What stands out about Hookstown’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 Hookstown are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19014 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1979. Watch Hookstown change.Old housesHalf of Hookstown’s homes were built before 1954.Deep rootsEstablished in 1797: 229 years of Hookstown.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hookstown’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hookstown’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

Hookstown on the map, 1901 to 1979

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

Hookstown on the 1901 USGS mapHookstown on the 1954 USGS mapHookstown on the 1969 USGS mapHookstown on the 1979 USGS map1901Beaver 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 Hookstown.

The story

How Hookstown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hookstown.

Read it all →

Hookstown was named after Matthias Hook, an early pioneer and Revolutionary War soldier, and his family. The only known surviving relatives are the McCormick family, who still reside in Hookstown and surrounding areas in western Pennsylvania.

Through his daughter, Catherine Hook, who married George Griffey, multiple present-day descendants across the United States are able to trace their roots back to Mathias Hook. A Griffey family reunion has been held annually in West Springfield every June for more than a hundred years.

In 1975, Little Blue Run Lake, the U.S.'s largest coal slurry waste impound, was built directly west of the town and has caused environmental damage to the surrounding communities.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hookstown, 1797 to 1915

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1797
    FoundingHookstown is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1818Post officeThe Hookstown post office opens
  5. 1828Born hereRobert Franklin Bunting is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1915Born hereBill Laughlin is born here
By decade

Hookstown, decade by decade

Today6 recent
PA 168 sb at center of Hookstown, May 20242024PA 168 sb at center of Hookstown, May 2024PA 168 nb entering Hookstown (2), May 20242024PA 168 nb entering Hookstown (2), May 2024PA 168 nb entering Hookstown (1), May 20242024PA 168 nb entering Hookstown (1), May 2024PA 168 nb at center of Hookstown, May 20242024PA 168 nb at center of Hookstown, May 2024Hookstown post office 150502014Hookstown post office 15050Hookstown Free Methodist Church2014Hookstown Free Methodist Church
People over time

Hookstown, census by census

0100200300190019502000Peak: 308

Between 129 and 308 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hookstown’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Hookstown

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

See all →
B
Bill LaughlinAmerican basketball player · b. 1915
R
Robert Franklin BuntingAmerican Presbyterian minister · b. 1828

Questions about Hookstown’s history

What year was Hookstown founded?

In 1797, according to Wikidata. Hookstown’s post office opened in 1818, and the census of 1860 counted 296 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (6), 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) 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.