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Petersburg, PA town hall, Aug. 2024Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
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History · Petersburg

Petersburg dates to 1795, and 59% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1923 on, and the census since 1810.

1795founded
0on the National Register
59%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Petersburg’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Petersburg began

When was Petersburg founded?

1795

Petersburg dates its founding to 1795 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1810.

First census: 194 in 18102020 census: 419231 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1874.

What stands out about Petersburg’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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Petersburg’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 781 in 1900; 419 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1795: 231 years of Petersburg.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Petersburg’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGENERAL VIEW OF TRANSFORMER YARD, LOOKI…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Petersburg, in brief

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

Petersburg is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was a stop on the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line between Tyrone and Huntingdon and the junction point for the Petersburg Branch. As of the 2020 census, Petersburg had a population of 419.

Petersburg was established in 1795. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 480 to 419 (-13%).

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

People over time

Petersburg, census by census

02004006008001850190019502000Peak: 781

Peaked at 781 in 1900; 419 people lived here in 2020.

21 censuses, 1810–2020.

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Petersburg in 1913

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

Before adjournment a resolution was passed to have the eighth reunion held at Harrisburg two years hence, but owing to delays incident to the erection of the monument at Petersburg, it was thought advisable to postpone the next reunion until the time should be fixed for the unveiling of the monumen…
Military history of the Third Division, Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac1913Read the page →
Read the text

Before adjournment a resolution was passed to have the eighth reunion held at Harrisburg two years hence, but owing to delays incident to the erection of the monument at Petersburg, it was thought advisable to postpone the next reunion until the time should be fixed for the unveiling of the monument. When, however, the time came for the unveiling of the monument at Petersburg, and the Survivors appeared on the historic and sanguinary field of the Siege of Petersburg, the fatigue incident to the ceremonies was so great that the Survivors had to abandon holding the re-

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
second section of this act, said Battlefield Commission be and is hereby authoried and empowered to arrange, over the most direct line of railroad, transportation for the survivors of the Pennsylvania Regiments referred to in this act from their nearest railroad point in Pennsylvania to the city of…
Military history of the Third Division, Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac1913Read the page →
Read the text

second section of this act, said Battlefield Commission be and is hereby authoried and empowered to arrange, over the most direct line of railroad, transportation for the survivors of the Pennsylvania Regiments referred to in this act from their nearest railroad point in Pennsylvania to the city of Petersburg, Virginia, and return; and If such surviving soldiers shall reside outside of the State of Pennsylvania, their transportation shall be furnished from the nearest railroad point in Pennsyvania to their place of residence, and from such railroad point to Petersburg and return ; it being understood that all honorably discharged survivors of these organizations shall be fur-

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

Petersburg, 1795 to 1990

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1795
    FoundingPetersburg is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1824Born hereAmos Myers is born here
  5. 1874Post officeThe Petersburg post office opens
  6. 1890Born hereGuy Gibson Campbell is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 781
  9. 1923On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1941Born hereWilliam D. Port is born here
  11. 1990In the archiveGENERAL VIEW OF TRANSFORMER YARD, LOOKING NORTHEAST - Warrior Ridge Dam, Spanning Frankst…
By decade

Petersburg, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
GENERAL VIEW OF TRANSFORMER YARD, LOOKING NORTHEAST - Warrior Ridge Dam, Spanning Frankstown Branch of Juniata River, P…1990GENERAL VIEW OF TRANSFORMER YARD, LOOKING NORTHEAST -…
Today5 recent
Townhall Petersburg PA back2016Townhall Petersburg PA backPennsylvania Railroad Bridge over Shavers Creek in2016Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge over Shavers Creek inMemorial bench2016Memorial benchMemorial2016MemorialAmerican Legion2016American Legion
On the map

Petersburg on the map, 1923 to 1994

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

Petersburg on the 1923 USGS mapPetersburg on the 1933 USGS mapPetersburg on the 1946 USGS mapPetersburg on the 1963 USGS mapPetersburg on the 1972 USGS mapPetersburg on the 1994 USGS map1923Tyrone 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 Petersburg.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Petersburg

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Amos MyersAmerican politician · b. 1824
G
Guy Gibson CampbellAmerican physician · b. 1890
William D. PortUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1941

Questions about Petersburg’s history

What year was Petersburg founded?

In 1795, according to Wikidata. Petersburg’s post office opened in 1874, and the census of 1810 counted 194 people here.

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), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.