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History · Mount Aetna

Mount Aetna dates to 1810, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1891 on.

1810founded
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Mount Aetna began

When was Mount Aetna founded?

1810

Mount Aetna dates its founding to 1810 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1854.

2020 census: 489216 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1854.

What stands out about Mount Aetna’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 Mount Aetna are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18916 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1992. Watch Mount Aetna change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1810: 216 years of Mount Aetna.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mount Aetna’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mount Aetna’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

Mount Aetna on the map, 1891 to 1992

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

Mount Aetna on the 1891 USGS mapMount Aetna on the 1943 USGS mapMount Aetna on the 1955 USGS mapMount Aetna on the 1969 USGS mapMount Aetna on the 1974 USGS mapMount Aetna on the 1992 USGS map1891Lebanon 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 Mount Aetna.

The story so far

Mount Aetna, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Mount Aetna yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Mount Aetna is a census-designated place in Tulpehocken Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along Pennsylvania Route 501 near the border of Lebanon County. The community is named after the active volcano, Mount Etna, in Sicily. As of the 2010 census, the population was 354 residents.

Mount Aetna was established in 1810. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 354 to 489 (+38%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Mount Aetna, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Pennsylvania State Route 5012011Pennsylvania State Route 501Mount Aetna, Pennsylvania2011Mount Aetna, PennsylvaniaMount Aetna, Pennsylvania2011Mount Aetna, PennsylvaniaMount Aetna, Pennsylvania2011Mount Aetna, PennsylvaniaMount Aetna, Pennsylvania2011Mount Aetna, PennsylvaniaMount Aetna, PA Keystone Marker2011Mount Aetna, PA Keystone Marker
Famous people

Famous people close to Mount Aetna

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

See all →
Sam BowieAmerican basketball player · b. 1961
Betty HarteAmerican actress · b. 1882
Derek FisherAmerican baseball player · b. 1993
George Nicholas EckertAmerican politician · b. 1802
K
Kenneth RiegelAmerican operatic tenor · b. 1938
J
James Slough ZerbeAmerican inventor · b. 1849

Questions about Mount Aetna’s history

What year was Mount Aetna founded?

In 1810, according to Wikidata. Mount Aetna’s post office opened in 1854.

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) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.