Lost a third of its people between 1870 and 1890, then more than doubled.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hydetown’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Hydetown, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hydetown yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hydetown is a borough in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 526 at the 2020 census, up from 526 at the 2010 census, down from 605 in 2000. It was established in 1862.
Hydetown was established in 1862. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 526 in 2010, 529 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Hydetown in 1885
Passages that mention Hydetown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
history of crawford county, pennsylvania1885 · page 585Read the page →
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Early meetings were held at Fink’s cabin, then in Colton’s Schoolhouse, until the church was built, quarterly meetings having been held in barns and in the forest. The society has about thirty members and is a part of Hydetown Cirit. * Kerr’s Hill is a hamlet located about two miles west of Titusville. It contains two churches, Presbyterian and United Presbyterian, a district school of two apartments, a store, blacksmith shop, and about twenty-five families.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania1885 · page 804Read the page →
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He began teaching in the common schools at the age of seventeen. He was teacher in the public school at Riceville three years, beginning in 1864; in ] 867-68 he was Principal of the graded school at Mosiertown, and in 1869 went to Hydetown, where he was Principal of the graded school six consecutive years. In 1875 our subject came to Cambridgeboro, and was Principal of the high school three years; in 1878 he was elected Superintendent of the common schools of this county, and is now serving his 3econd term. He is Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania State Teachers' Associa-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
history of crawford county, pennsylvania1885 · page 584Read the page →
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possession of John Watson, who increased its capacity and in 1824 sold the property to Joseph L. Chase & Company. They erected a saw-mill and retained possession until 1854. About ten years later it was abandoned. Peter Titus built an early saw-mill at Hydetown. About 1815 Adam Holliday erected one on Oil Creek, a half mile west of Titusville. A chair factory was afterward in operation at the same place, and the mill dam still remains. John Thompson about 1825 erected a saw-mill on Thompson’s Run, about three miles north of Titusville. A new mill was erected later on the same site by David Kerr
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
Hydetown, 1862 to 1980
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Hydetown’s history
What year was Hydetown founded?
In 1862, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hydetown’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1870 counted 428 people here.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (2), 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.
![He began teaching in the common schools at the age of seventeen. He was teacher in the public school at Riceville three years, beginning in 1864; in ] 867-68 he was Principal of the graded school at Mosiertown, and in 1869 went to Hydetown, where he was Principal of the graded school six consecutiv…](https://images.townratings.com/story/15387/bk-3c2e268f10f72a6c-l.jpg)
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2014
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2011
