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History · Schellsburg

Schellsburg dates to 1808, and 55% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 92 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1850.

1808founded
1on the National Register
55%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Schellsburg’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Schellsburg began

When was Schellsburg founded?

1808

Schellsburg dates its founding to 1808 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 360 in 18502020 census: 330218 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1813.The full story ↓

What stands out about Schellsburg’s past

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

A historic districtThe Schellsburg Historic District takes in 92 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Schellsburg’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19083 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1971. Watch Schellsburg change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1808: 218 years of Schellsburg.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

1 listing protects 92 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
92
each building in a district counts
first listed
2001
Schellsburg Historic District
Schellsburg Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Federal1
Foursquare1
Prairie School1
Dutch Colonial Revival1
Schellsburg Historic DistrictFederal

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Schellsburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Schellsburg.

Read it all →

Schellsburg was so named after John Schell who settled and founded the community. John Schell's grandfather Michael Schell first arrived in Philadelphia from the Palatinate by way of Rotterdam in 1727, after which more family members arrived in 1732 and again in 1738. In 1732 when he returned with other members of his family, Michael Schell purchased a substantial tract of land where he settled with his family in the Perkiomen Valley northwest of Philadelphia, an area in Upper Hanover Township later known as East Greenville, in what was then Philadelphia County and became Montgomery County in 1760. The adjoining community of Hillegassville was named after its founder Johann Frederick Hillegass. His granddaughter Elizabeth Barbara Hillegass married John Schell Jr., who was born in 1725 at the family homestead granted to his father John Schell Sr., the youngest son of Michael Schell who d…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Schellsburg on the map, 1908 to 1971

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

Schellsburg on the 1908 USGS mapSchellsburg on the 1910 USGS mapSchellsburg on the 1971 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 Schellsburg.

Timeline

Schellsburg, 1808 to 1999

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1808
    FoundingSchellsburg is established
  3. 1813Post officeThe Schellburg post office opens
  4. 1834Born hereRush Clark is born here
  5. 1889Born hereJohn A. Snively is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1966In the archiveShawnee Lake 1VBKT00010038
  9. 1984In the archiveStoryland
  10. 1999In the archive3-4 view looking NW. Abuts - 5. - Lincoln Highway Farm
By decade

Schellsburg, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1960s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1960s–1990s6 items
Shawnee Lake 1VBKT000100381966Shawnee Lake 1VBKT00010038Storyland1984StorylandStoryland1984Storyland3-4 view looking NW. Abuts - 5. - Lincoln Highway Farm19993-4 view looking NW. Abuts - 5. - Lincoln Highway Farm3-4 view of farmhouse. Looking NE. - Lincoln Highway Farm19993-4 view of farmhouse. Looking NE. - Lincoln Highway …3-4 view. Looking NE. - Lincoln Highway Farm19993-4 view. Looking NE. - Lincoln Highway Farm
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.

Shawnee Lake 1VBKT00010038
Retake this viewShawnee Lake 1VBKT00010038, 1966

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Schellsburg, census by census

01002003004001850190019502000Peak: 394

Between 245 and 394 people in every census since 1850.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Schellsburg

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

See all →
Rush ClarkAmerican politician · b. 1834
John A. SnivelyAmerican businessman · b. 1889
Help out

Finish Schellsburg’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewShawnee Lake 1VBKT00010038: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Schellsburg’s history

What year was Schellsburg founded?

In 1808, according to Wikidata. Schellsburg’s post office opened in 1813, and the census of 1850 counted 360 people here.

What is on the National Register in Schellsburg?

One place: the Schellsburg Historic District (listed 2001).

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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.