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History · Mount Carbon

Mount Carbon dates to 1828, and 89% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1870.

1828founded
0on the National Register
89%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Mount Carbon’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Mount Carbon began

When was Mount Carbon founded?

1828

Mount Carbon dates its founding to 1828 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 364 in 18702020 census: 91198 years
Founding year: Wikidata.

What stands out about Mount Carbon’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 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18896 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1994. Watch Mount Carbon change.Old housesHalf of Mount Carbon’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsEstablished in 1828: 198 years of Mount Carbon.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mount Carbon’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewView of Mount Carbon: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Mount Carbon on the map, 1889 to 1994

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

Mount Carbon on the 1889 USGS mapMount Carbon on the 1891 USGS mapMount Carbon on the 1944 USGS mapMount Carbon on the 1968 USGS mapMount Carbon on the 1976 USGS mapMount Carbon on the 1994 USGS map1889Pottsville 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 Carbon.

The story so far

Mount Carbon, in brief

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

Mount Carbon is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States, two miles south of Pottsville. It was formed from North Manheim Township in 1864. The population was 88 in the 2020 census. The borough is the smallest municipality in Schuylkill County.

Mount Carbon was established in 1828. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 91 in 2010, 91 in 2020.

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Mount Carbon in 1916

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

Old Time Stories When the first train came up to Mount Carbon after the Readingrailroad was built, January i, 1842, it excited considerable curiosity and the people assembled along the line to see it pass.
Blue book of Schuylkill County1916 · page 454Read the page →
Read the text

Old Time Stories When the first train came up to Mount Carbon after the Readingrailroad was built, January i, 1842, it excited considerable curiosity and the people assembled along the line to see it pass.

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

Mount Carbon, 1828 to 1889

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1828
    FoundingMount Carbon is established
  3. 1833In the archiveView of Mount Carbon
  4. 1856In the archiveThe Mansionhouse
  5. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Mount Carbon, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1830s to the 1850s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1830s–1850s4 items
View of Mount Carbon1833View of Mount CarbonView of Mount Carbon Taken from Second Mountain & respectully dedicated to the enterprising citizens of the coal region…1833View of Mount Carbon Taken from Second Mountain & res…The Mansionhouse1856The MansionhouseThe Custom House, New York; The Biblehouse, New York; The Mansion House1856The Custom House, New York; The Biblehouse, New York;…
Today1 recent
Adelphia Seafood2015Adelphia Seafood
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.

View of Mount Carbon
Retake this viewView of Mount Carbon, 1833

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Mount Carbon, census by census

010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 364

Between 87 and 364 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Mount Carbon

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

See all →
Gary S. BeckerAmerican economist · b. 1930
John O'HaraAmerican journalist and writer · b. 1905
M
Matt WachterAmerican musician · b. 1976
R
Ralph PetersAmerican military officer, writer, pundit · b. 1952
Ronald William GainerCatholic bishop · b. 1947
Vincent CarterAmerican politician · b. 1891
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

North Manheim TownshipIts storyC+Pottsville7 historic placesA+

Questions about Mount Carbon’s history

What year was Mount Carbon founded?

In 1828, according to Wikidata. the census of 1870 counted 364 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 (1), the Library of Congress (4), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.