–Not graded

History · Houtzdale

Houtzdale’s post office opened in 1870, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1887 on and the census since 1880.

1870first post office

0on the National Register

43%homes built before 1940

4famous people

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Quick answers

How Houtzdale began

When was Houtzdale founded?

1870

The Houtzdale post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 2,060 in 18802020 census: 764156 years

Founding year: the first Houtzdale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Houtzdale’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 Houtzdale are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19035 editions of the USGS map, 1903 to 1993. Watch Houtzdale change.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1887 to 1910, drew every building in Houtzdale.Old housesHalf of Houtzdale’s homes were built before 1946.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Houtzdale’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

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On the map

Houtzdale on the map, 1903 to 1993

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

1903Houtzdale 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 Houtzdale.

Every building

Houtzdale, building by building, 1887–1910

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.

Houtzdale fire insurance map, 1887, sheet 1

1887Sheet 1 of 2

Edition

Sheets

+1 more at the Library of Congress

BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Houtzdale came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Houtzdale.

Read it all →

Houtzdale is named after Dr. Daniel Houtz, the original owner of the town site. The town was built quickly in the late 19th century and is structured on a square grid plan. Focused mainly on the railroad and coal industry, the town served as a hub for the railroad which made its way onto Ramey and Madera to the west. Houtzdale become an incorporated borough in 1872.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Houtzdale, 1887–1911

Passages that mention Houtzdale, cut from the printed page as they were published.

In 1881 in the enterprising town of Houtzdale a weekly newspaper was started by the "Observer Publishing Company," under the name of the "Houtzdale Observer." After many changes in its management this paper was absorbed by the "Houtzdale Citizen," which is now owned and published by Hon. Harry Boul… — **Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania**1911 · page 177Read the page →
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In 1881 in the enterprising town of Houtzdale a weekly newspaper was started by the "Observer Publishing Company," under the name of the "Houtzdale Observer." After many changes in its management this paper was absorbed by the "Houtzdale Citizen," which is now owned and published by Hon. Harry Boulton and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

No other boroughs were added to this list for eight years, when, in 1872, the village of Houtzdale was incorporated. From that year on the number of boroughs increased rapidly and in the following order: Wallaceton, 1873; Burnside, 1874; Newburgli, 1875; Du- Bois and Glen Hope, 1881 ; Chester, Hill… — **Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania**1911 · page 34Read the page →
Read the text
No other boroughs were added to this list for eight years, when, in 1872, the village of Houtzdale was incorporated. From that year on the number of boroughs increased rapidly and in the following order: Wallaceton, 1873; Burnside, 1874; Newburgli, 1875; Du- Bois and Glen Hope, 1881 ; Chester, Hill, Coalport, Brisbin and West Clearfield 1883; Gram-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Madera is a village situated on the east side of Clearfield Creek, four miles from Houtzdale. It was formerly called Puseyville, after Charles Pusey, who owned the land upon which it was built, and who erected saw-mills and a large grist-mill near the town site. The town is surrounded with hills in… — **History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania**1887 · page 663Read the page →
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Madera is a village situated on the east side of Clearfield Creek, four miles from Houtzdale. It was formerly called Puseyville, after Charles Pusey, who owned the land upon which it was built, and who erected saw-mills and a large grist-mill near the town site. The town is surrounded with hills in which are numerous coal beds. There are a number of fine residences in the town, notably the Hagerty houses. The extension of the Moshannon Branch Railroad to the place gave the town an impetus that will in a very short time place it on a level with the others in the coal regions.
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

Houtzdale, 1870 to 1927

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

19th century
1870Post officeThe Houtzdale post office opens
1895Born hereFrank McDermott is born here
20th century
1900Born hereBill Bishop is born here
1903Born hereIrving Kahal is born here
1903On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1927Born hereBud George is born here

By decade

Houtzdale, decade by decade

Today6 recent

2012Houtzdale, Pennsylvania

People over time

Houtzdale, census by census

Between 764 and 2,231 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Houtzdale

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

See all →

Bud GeorgeAmerican politician · b. 1927

Bill BishopAmerican baseball player · b. 1900

Irving KahalAmerican lyricist · b. 1903

Frank McDermottAmerican-football player · b. 1895

Questions about Houtzdale’s history

What year was Houtzdale founded?

The Houtzdale post office opened in 1870, 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 →

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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), 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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