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History · New Alexandria

New Alexandria dates to 1800, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1840.

1800founded
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From New Alexandria’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How New Alexandria began

When was New Alexandria founded?

1800

New Alexandria dates its founding to 1800 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 427 in 18402020 census: 501226 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1804.The full story ↓

What stands out about New Alexandria’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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19003 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1973. Watch New Alexandria change.Boom and bustPeaked at 697 in 1980; 501 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of New Alexandria’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start New Alexandria’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewNew Alexandria PA Presby PHS397: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

New Alexandria on the map, 1900 to 1973

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

New Alexandria on the 1900 USGS mapNew Alexandria on the 1964 USGS mapNew Alexandria on the 1973 USGS map1900Latrobe 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 New Alexandria.

People over time

New Alexandria, census by census

01002003004005006007001850190019502000Peak: 697

Peaked at 697 in 1980; 501 people lived here in 2020.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

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

The story

How New Alexandria came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of New Alexandria.

Read it all →

New Alexandria (once known as Denniston's Town) is one of the oldest boroughs in Westmoreland County. It originally included what later became Ligonier Borough. The area that became New Alexandria was first settled in 1760 along the banks of the historic Loyalhanna Creek. To protect the settlers from Native American raids, Craig's Fort was built nearby around 1774. The settlement became a wagon rest stop for travelers, soldiers and militiamen during the American Revolution.

The borough was incorporated by an Act of Assembly passed on April 10, 1834. By 1906, two schools were in operation with 100 students.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

New Alexandria, 1800 to 1997

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1800
    FoundingNew Alexandria is established
  3. 1804Post officeThe New Alexandria post office opens
  4. 1822Born hereWilliam Speer is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1923In the archiveNew Alexandria PA Presby PHS397
  8. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 697
  9. 1997In the archiveLoyalhanna Lake
By decade

New Alexandria, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1920s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s2 items
New Alexandria PA Presby PHS3971923New Alexandria PA Presby PHS397New Alexandria PA United Presby PHS3981923New Alexandria PA United Presby PHS398
1930s–1980snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1990s1 item
Loyalhanna Lake1997Loyalhanna Lake
Today3 recent
41 - 20180728 - Derry Twp, PA201841 - 20180728 - Derry Twp, PANo Walls Ministries2014No Walls MinistriesConcord School2014Concord School
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.

New Alexandria PA Presby PHS397
Retake this viewNew Alexandria PA Presby PHS397, 1923

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

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Derry Township3 historic placesBSalem Township3 historic placesA

Questions about New Alexandria’s history

What year was New Alexandria founded?

In 1800, according to Wikidata. New Alexandria’s post office opened in 1804, and the census of 1840 counted 427 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 (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.