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Pleasantville 009Photo: Adam Osman · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Pleasantville

Pleasantville dates to 1824, and 63% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1908 on and the census since 1880.

1824founded
0on the National Register
63%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Adam Osman · Public domain
Quick answers

How Pleasantville began

When was Pleasantville founded?

1824

Pleasantville dates its founding to 1824 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 227 in 18802020 census: 191202 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1824.

What stands out about Pleasantville’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 Pleasantville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Pleasantville’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 303 in 1970; 191 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19084 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1981. Watch Pleasantville change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Pleasantville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pleasantville’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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The story so far

Pleasantville, in brief

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

Pleasantville, also known as Alum Bank, is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 191 at the 2020 census.

Pleasantville was established in 1824. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 198 to 191 (-4%).

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

People over time

Pleasantville, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 303

Peaked at 303 in 1970; 191 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Timeline

Pleasantville, 1824 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1824
    FoundingPleasantville is established
  3. 1824Post officeThe Alum Bank post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 303
By decade

Pleasantville, decade by decade

Today6 recent
PA 56 wb in Pleasantville (1), Aug. 20242024PA 56 wb in Pleasantville (1), Aug. 2024Alum Bank, PA fire department, Aug. 20242024Alum Bank, PA fire department, Aug. 2024Alum Bank Community Church, Pleasantville, PA, Aug. 20242024Alum Bank Community Church, Pleasantville, PA, Aug. 2…Pennsylvania State Route 962014Pennsylvania State Route 96Pleasantville 0092009Pleasantville 009Pleasantville 009 (cropped)2009Pleasantville 009 (cropped)
On the map

Pleasantville on the map, 1908 to 1981

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

Pleasantville on the 1908 USGS mapPleasantville on the 1910 USGS mapPleasantville on the 1971 USGS mapPleasantville on the 1981 USGS map1908Bedford 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 Pleasantville.

Famous people

Famous people close to Pleasantville

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

See all →
Ashley MillerAmerican screenwriter and producer · b. 1971
Bo BassettAmerican wrestler · b. 2006
M
Michael RusnakAmerican Catholic priest · b. 1921
B
Bob O'ConnorAmerican mayor · b. 1944
J
John Michael KudrickGreek Catholic bishop · b. 1947
Rush ClarkAmerican politician · b. 1834
Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Alum Bank
Gone or out of use
Alumbank Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Pleasantville’s history

What year was Pleasantville founded?

In 1824, according to Wikidata. Pleasantville’s post office opened in 1824, and the census of 1880 counted 227 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), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.