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C−History
History · Shippen Township

Half of Shippen Township’s homes were built after 1961

More historic than 24% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Shippen Township was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1961. Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 2000.

0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

About Shippen Township’s history

How historic is Shippen Township?

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More historic than 24% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Shippen Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Shippen Township is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Shippen Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19408.3% of homes (±3.1) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%C+National 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 24%
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 Shippen 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points).

Founding year: our sources. 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 Shippen 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 Shippen Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Shippen Township, and 9 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Shippen Township’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Shippen Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Shippen 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
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

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

Beech Wood
1865–1910
Truman
1887–1892
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BeechwoodHoward SidingLawn ViewLockwoodProspect ParkRich ValleyTrumanWeber CityWest Creek
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside Shippen Township
MarkertMoore HillMorrisonNewtonRich ValleySaint MarksSanford

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

The story so far

Shippen Township, in brief

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

Shippen Township is a township in Cameron County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,922 at the 2020 census. The borough of Emporium, the county seat, lies enclaved within the eastern part of the township, but is not part of it.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,232 to 1,944 (-13%).

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

Timeline

Shippen Township, 1865 to 1957

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1865Post officeThe Beech Wood post office opens
  3. 1887Post officeThe Truman post office opens
  4. 1892Post officeThe Truman post office closes
  5. 20th century
  6. 1910Post officeThe Beech Wood post office closes
  7. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Shippen Township, decade by decade

Today5 recent
2022-09-11 18 59 12 Cloud layers viewed from an aircraft over Shippen Township, Cameron County, Pennsylvania20222022-09-11 18 59 12 Cloud layers viewed from an aircr…2022-06-13 11 17 35 View north along Pennsylvania State Route 46 at Lockwood Road in Shippen Township, Cameron County, …20222022-06-13 11 17 35 View north along Pennsylvania Sta…Rail line from Four Mile Road2015Rail line from Four Mile RoadPennsylvania State Route 1202013Pennsylvania State Route 120Pennsylvania State Route 1202013Pennsylvania State Route 120
On the map

Shippen Township on the map, 1957 to 1971

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

Shippen Township on the 1957 USGS mapShippen Township on the 1969 USGS mapShippen Township on the 1971 USGS map1957Warren sheet · 1:250,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Shippen Township.

People over time

Shippen Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,50020002020Peak: 2,495

Between 1,922 and 2,495 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Shippen Township

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

See all →
Joseph T. McNarneyUnited States Army general · b. 1893
J
Joanna ShieldsAmerican businesswomen, vice president and mana… · b. 1962
Nate SestinaAmerican basketball player · b. 1997
G
George AlbeeAmerican psychologist · b. 1921
Joe BeimelMajor League Baseball pitcher · b. 1977
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Portage TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLumber TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBenezette TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townJones Township1 historic placeA−St. Marys3 historic placesANorwich TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGibson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSergeant TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Shippen Township’s history

How does Shippen Township rank for history?

Shippen Township is more historic than 24% 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 Shippen Township?

8% of Shippen Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1961.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (5), 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.