Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1870.
Penn dates its founding to 1859 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Penn’s history is told.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Penn yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Penn is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Penn had a population of 435. The borough was named for Pennsylvania founder William Penn.
Penn was established in 1859. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 475 to 435 (-8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Peaked at 1,081 in 1940; 435 people lived here in 2020.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Penn’s Wikipedia page.
Passages that mention Penn, cut from the printed page as they were published.
At length the day of election came. In spite of everything the Court could do, Sydney had promises of a majority of votes. Penn went with his friend to the hustings and made a powerful speech. 'Don't listen to him; he's a Jesuit.' shouted the Recorder; but the people laughed at their Recorder, not at Penn. That officer called for a New Testament and tendered Penn the oaths — well knowing
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Penn replied, that they were Englishmen from Holland, and were going no farther than to his own town of Mulheim ; on hearing which answer, one of the Graf's gentlemen walked up to the strangers with a frown on his face, and asked them if they knew before whom they stood ; and if they had not yet learned how to deport themselves before noblemen and in the presence of
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Penn. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Penn.
Nobody well known was born in Penn itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1859, according to Wikidata. Penn’s post office opened in 1922, and the census of 1870 counted 820 people here.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), 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.
2012
