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Main at Lacock, Sandy LakePhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
B+History
History · Sandy Lake Township

Sandy Lake Township dates to 1849, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1870.

1849founded
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Sandy Lake Township began

When was Sandy Lake Township founded?

1849

Sandy Lake Township dates its founding to 1849 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 428 in 18702020 census: 1,202177 years

How historic is Sandy Lake Township?

B+

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.
History grade

What drives Sandy Lake Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sandy Lake Township is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sandy Lake Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1849, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194030.1% of homes (±14.4) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%ANational 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 70%
NewerOlder

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 Sandy Lake 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.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±14.4 points). Two sources give 1849.

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 Sandy Lake Township’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 Sandy Lake Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19114 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1970. Watch Sandy Lake Township change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1849: 177 years of Sandy Lake Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sandy Lake Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sandy Lake Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Sandy Lake Township on the map, 1911 to 1970

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

Sandy Lake Township on the 1911 USGS mapSandy Lake Township on the 1943 USGS mapSandy Lake Township on the 1960 USGS mapSandy Lake Township on the 1970 USGS map1911Stoneboro 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 Sandy Lake Township.

The story so far

Sandy Lake Township, in brief

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

Sandy Lake is a borough in eastern Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was established in 1849. The population was 649 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hermitage micropolitan area.

Sandy Lake Township was established in 1849. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,226 in 2010, 1,202 in 2020.

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

By decade

Sandy Lake Township, decade by decade

Today12 recent
US 62-PA 173 sb approaching split, June 20242024US 62-PA 173 sb approaching split, June 2024Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania aerial 2024-06-15 32024Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania aerial 2024-06-15 3Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania aerial 2024-06-15 22024Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania aerial 2024-06-15 2Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania aerial 2024-06-15 12024Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania aerial 2024-06-15 1Sandy Lake, PA post office, June 20242024Sandy Lake, PA post office, June 2024PA 358 eb at US 62-PA 173, June 20242024PA 358 eb at US 62-PA 173, June 2024PA 173 sb in Sandy Lake Borough (1), June 20242024PA 173 sb in Sandy Lake Borough (1), June 2024PA 173 sb entering Sandy Lake Borough, June 20242024PA 173 sb entering Sandy Lake Borough, June 2024Main at Lacock2019Main at LacockUS Route 62 - Pennsylvania2014US Route 62 - PennsylvaniaUS Route 62 - Pennsylvania2014US Route 62 - PennsylvaniaUS Route 62 - Pennsylvania2009US Route 62 - Pennsylvania
People over time

Sandy Lake Township, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 838

Between 428 and 838 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

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

Hamlets and corners on the map
Booher CornersReeds Furnace
Gone or out of use
Giebner SchoolschoolPorter Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sandy Lake Township
Oak HillRocky SpringsYankee Hill

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Mill Creek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWorth TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNew Vernon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStoneboroIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Sandy Lake Township’s history

What year was Sandy Lake Township founded?

In 1849, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1870 counted 428 people here.

How does Sandy Lake Township rank for history?

Sandy Lake Township is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns. 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 Sandy Lake Township?

30% of Sandy Lake Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±14.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1972.

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 (12), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.