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History · Imperial

Imperial dates to 1879, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: old-book passages.

1879founded
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
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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 Imperial began

When was Imperial founded?

1879

Imperial dates its founding to 1879 (Wikipedia’s history).

2020 census: 2,722147 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

What stands out about Imperial’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 Imperial are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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The story

How Imperial came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Imperial.

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Imperial was established as a mining town circa 1879 by the Imperial Coal Company. It sits along Montour Run on land that had been the farm of Robert Wilson. Known at first as Montour City, the town soon took the name of the coal company, with a post office under the name Imperial opening in 1880. The town and nearby mines were served by the Montour Railroad. The community was formerly part of the Imperial-Enlow CDP before splitting into two separate CDPs. In 2020, Amazon opened a large fulfillment center complex in Imperial off of Pennsylvania Route 576.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Imperial in 1889

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

Clinton, a village of some importance as a local business center, was laid out in 1826, by John Charles. The postoffice, one of the oldest in this part of the county, was established in 1828. A postoffice at Cliff Mine was established in February, 1886, and one at McMinn in June, 1881. Imperial, th…
History of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania1889 · page 12Read the page →
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Clinton, a village of some importance as a local business center, was laid out in 1826, by John Charles. The postoffice, one of the oldest in this part of the county, was established in 1828. A postoffice at Cliff Mine was established in February, 1886, and one at McMinn in June, 1881. Imperial, the southern terminus of the Montour railroad, is partly in this township. Hopewell Presbyterian Church was organized in 1814 as part of the charge of Eev. Michael Law. Among the early pastors were Revs. William J. Frazier and James D. Ray, installed in 1825 and 1829, respectively. Rev. William

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
to their ownership in 1878, and Jessup & Co. in the same year, when (1879) the present proprietor, Frank Armstrong, assumed control. Six hundred tons are prodiiced daily, employing 175 men, and requiring 96 cars. The old Bower Hill mines, 1 , 200 feet east of Bower Hill station, were reopened by th…
History of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania1889 · page 65Read the page →
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to their ownership in 1878, and Jessup & Co. in the same year, when (1879) the present proprietor, Frank Armstrong, assumed control. Six hundred tons are prodiiced daily, employing 175 men, and requiring 96 cars. The old Bower Hill mines, 1 , 200 feet east of Bower Hill station, were reopened by the Imperial Coal company in 1887 after a long period of suspension. Bower Hill No. 2, 1,500 feet east of the station of that name, has been operated since 1875 by A. J. Schulte. One hundred and twenty-five men are employed.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
to their ownership in 1878, and Jessup & Co. in the same year, when (1879) the present proprietor, Frank Armstrong, assumed control. Six hundred tons are produced daily, employing 175 men, and requiring 96 cars. The old Bower Hill mines, 1 , 200 feet east of Bower Hill station, were reopened by the…
History of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania1889 · page 65Read the page →
Read the text

to their ownership in 1878, and Jessup & Co. in the same year, when (1879) the present proprietor, Frank Armstrong, assumed control. Six hundred tons are produced daily, employing 175 men, and requiring 96 cars. The old Bower Hill mines, 1 , 200 feet east of Bower Hill station, were reopened by the Imperial Coal company in 1887 after a long period of suspension. Bower Hill No. 2, 1,500 feet east of the station of that name, has been operated since 1875 by A. J. Schulte. One hundred and twenty-five men are employed.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
kins, treasurer, and F. L. Shallenberger, superintendent, was incorporated in 1878. The road is eleven and one-half miles long. The terminal points are Montour Junction, on the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie railroad, in this township, and Montour City (Imperial), in North Fayette. The road was built for c…
History of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania1889 · page 9Read the page →
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kins, treasurer, and F. L. Shallenberger, superintendent, was incorporated in 1878. The road is eleven and one-half miles long. The terminal points are Montour Junction, on the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie railroad, in this township, and Montour City (Imperial), in North Fayette. The road was built for coal transportation from the mines of the Imperial Coal company, a corporation identical in management and control, but also affords passenger facilities, and has proven an important factor in the development of the Montour valley.

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

Imperial, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Cratsley Building, Imperial, Pennsylvania, 2024-10-01, inscription2024Cratsley Building, Imperial, Pennsylvania, 2024-10-01…Caboose at the Findlay Township Activity Center, Imperial, Pennsylvania, 2024-10-012024Caboose at the Findlay Township Activity Center, Impe…Caboose at the Findlay Township Activity Center, Imperial, Pennsylvania, 2024-10-01-22024Caboose at the Findlay Township Activity Center, Impe…Caboose at the Findlay Township Activity Center, Imperial, Pennsylvania, 2024-10-01-12024Caboose at the Findlay Township Activity Center, Impe…Buildings on Station Street, Imperial, Pennsylvania, 2024-10-012024Buildings on Station Street, Imperial, Pennsylvania, …003858-R1-E002 Old store in Imperial, 2024-10-012024003858-R1-E002 Old store in Imperial, 2024-10-01
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

EnlowIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Imperial’s history

What year was Imperial founded?

In 1879, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town.

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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 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.