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C+History
History · Robinson Township

Robinson Township dates to 1801

More historic than 41% of U.S. towns · #840 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Most of Robinson Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1850.

1801founded
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Sebas87 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Quick answers

How Robinson Township began

When was Robinson Township founded?

1801

Robinson Township dates its founding to 1801 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 1,917 in 18502020 census: 15,503225 years

How historic is Robinson Township?

C+

More historic than 41% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1832.
History grade

What drives Robinson Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Robinson Township is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #840 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Robinson Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1801, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19405.7% of homes (±2.4) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical PA town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 41%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 19%

Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Robinson Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1801.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Robinson Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Robinson Township, and 4 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1870 and 1880, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 19045 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1990. Watch Robinson Township change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Montour's
1832–1852
Groveton
1886–1966
Gayly
1894–1902
Beacom
1895–1903
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Forest GroveGaylyGrovetonMontour Junction
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Robinson Township
Forest GroveHoly SoulsMontourPetrieUnion

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

Help out

Start Robinson Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Robinson Township’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 viewNeville, Robinson and Collier Townships…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Robinson Township, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00018501900195020002,275 in 1870Low: 1,170

Lost half of its people between 1870 and 1880, then grew more than tenfold.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

The story so far

Robinson Township, in brief

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

Robinson Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Pittsburgh. The population was 15,503 at the 2020 census. Home to Robinson Town Centre, Settlers Ridge and the Mall at Robinson, the township serves as a retail hub for the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

Robinson Township was established in 1801. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 13,354 to 15,503 (+16%).

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

Timeline

Robinson Township, 1801 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1801
    FoundingRobinson Township is established
  3. 1832Post officeThe Montour's post office opens
  4. 1852Post officeThe Montour's post office closes
  5. 1886Post officeThe Groveton post office opens
  6. 1894Post officeThe Gayly post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1902Post officeThe Gayly post office closes
  9. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1909Born hereLouis F. Zarza is born here
  11. 1910In the archiveNeville, Robinson and Collier Townships, Allegheny County. (Skeleton)
  12. 1966Post officeThe Groveton post office closes
  13. 21st century
  14. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 15,503
By decade

Robinson Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Neville, Robinson and Collier Townships, Allegheny County. (Skeleton)1910Neville, Robinson and Collier Townships, Allegheny Co…
1920s–1990snothing 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
Today9 recent
I-376 wb approaching exit 59, May 20242024I-376 wb approaching exit 59, May 20242022-05-15 11 19 48 View north along Pennsylvania State Route 60 (Steubenville Pike) at Campbells Run Road in Robinson …20222022-05-15 11 19 48 View north along Pennsylvania Sta…PetSmart in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania2013PetSmart in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaI-79 and I-376 Interchanges Aerial2013I-79 and I-376 Interchanges AerialInterstate 376 - Pennsylvania2012Interstate 376 - PennsylvaniaMap of Allegheny County PA Highlighting2007Map of Allegheny County PA HighlightingMapPA 60 north in Robinson Twp2006PA 60 north in Robinson TwpMontour Trail 62006Montour Trail 6Montour Trail 32006Montour Trail 3
On the map

Robinson Township on the map, 1904 to 1990

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

Robinson Township on the 1904 USGS mapRobinson Township on the 1953 USGS mapRobinson Township on the 1960 USGS mapRobinson Township on the 1979 USGS mapRobinson Township on the 1990 USGS map1904Carnegie 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 Robinson Township.

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.

Neville, Robinson and Collier Townships, Allegheny County. (Skeleton)
Retake this viewNeville, Robinson and Collier Townships, Allegheny County. (Skeleton), 1910

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

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Moon Township1 historic placeB+North Fayette TownshipIts storyC+Kennedy TownshipIts storyDCollier Township2 historic placesB−Thornburg1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPittsburgh189 historic placesA+Coraopolis2 historic placesA−Neville Township1 historic placeB+Rosslyn FarmsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCarnegie1 historic placeB+

Questions about Robinson Township’s history

What year was Robinson Township founded?

In 1801, according to Wikidata. Robinson Township’s post office opened in 1832, and the census of 1850 counted 1,917 people here.

How does Robinson Township rank for history?

Robinson Township is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #840 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Robinson Township?

6% of Robinson Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1986.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (10), 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) 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.