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History · Kistler

46% of Kistler’s homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1922 on, and the census since 1930.

0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Kistler’s archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about Kistler’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Kistler’s homes were built before 1942.On the map since 19224 editions of the USGS map, 1922 to 1971. Watch Kistler change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Kistler’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewTown of Kistler: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Kistler came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kistler.

Read it all →

Kistler, Pennsylvania is one of the United States' lesser known Company Towns. A Company Town is a settlement built and operated by a single business enterprise. Most company towns were established between 1880 and 1930 during the early industrial age. See list of company towns.

Kistler was initially established to meet the needs of a large manufacturing plant by providing comfortable homes for its workmen within close proximity of the factory. The town was built and owned by the Mount Union Refractories Company (MURC), a large brick making plant originally located at the foot of Mount Union, Pennsylvania.

ChaptersDevelopmentTown LayoutStreet DesignPark FeaturesHousing designCommunity wellbeing

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Kistler on the map, 1922 to 1971

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

Kistler on the 1922 USGS mapKistler on the 1944 USGS mapKistler on the 1959 USGS mapKistler on the 1971 USGS map1922Mt Union 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 Kistler.

By decade

Kistler, decade by decade

Date unknown2 to date
Town of KistlerDate?Town of KistlerPennsylvania Railroad, Mount Union Bridge, Spanning Juniata River, north of Township Route 780 Bridge, Mount Union, Hun…Date?Pennsylvania Railroad, Mount Union Bridge, Spanning J…
Today3 recent
Kistler PA street2016Kistler PA streetKistler (PA) Vol ire C2016Kistler (PA) Vol ire CJuniata River at2016Juniata River at
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Town of Kistler
Retake this viewTown of Kistler

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Kistler’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Kistler, census by census

010020030040050019401960198020002020Peak: 518

Between 291 and 518 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Kistler

Nobody well known was born in Kistler itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Christina CrosbyAmerican scholar and writer · b. 1953
David McMurtrie GreggUnion Army general · b. 1833
Joseph SaxtonAmerican inventor · b. 1799
Horace PorterUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient and… · b. 1837
William A. WallaceAmerican politician · b. 1827
George M. ChilcottAmerican politician · b. 1828

Questions about Kistler’s history

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 (3), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.