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History · Stoystown

Stoystown dates to 1774, and 49% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 81 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1914 on, and the census since 1820.

1774founded
2on the National Register
49%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Stoystown began

When was Stoystown founded?

1774

Stoystown dates its founding to 1774 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 204 in 18202020 census: 300252 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Stoystown’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Stoystown Historic District takes in 81 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 517 in 1950; 300 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Stoystown’s homes were built before 1941.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Stoystown’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Stoystown’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

2 listings protect 82 historic buildings

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
82
each building in a district counts
first listed
1998
Hite House
Hite HouseStoystown Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Mid-19th Century1
American Foursquare1
Queen Anne1
Bungalow1
Prairie School1
Hite HouseMid-19th Century
Stoystown Historic DistrictAmerican Foursquare

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

People over time

Stoystown, census by census

01002003004005001850190019502000Peak: 517

Peaked at 517 in 1950; 300 people lived here in 2020.

20 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

The story

How Stoystown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Stoystown.

Read it all →

The site of the Stony Creek Encampment is near the eastern end of Stoystown, slightly north of U.S. Route 30. This small supply depot was located along Forbes Road during the French & Indian War.

ChaptersSeptember 11 attacks

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Stoystown, 1774 to 1950

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1774
    FoundingStoystown is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1860In the archiveMap of Stoystown, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, from 1860 Somerset County Map by Edward …
  5. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Somerset County - Quemahoning - ED…
  6. 20th century
  7. 1914On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 517
By decade

Stoystown, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s–1880s2 items
Map of Stoystown, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, from 1860 Somerset County Map by Edward L Walker1860Map of Stoystown, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, from…Map1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Somerset County - Quemahoning - ED 56-46, ED 56-4718801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania …
1890s–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
Today4 recent
Painted gas pump outside a store2019Painted gas pump outside a storeLincoln Highway sign outside a home2019Lincoln Highway sign outside a homeA Victorian-style cottage undergoing renovations2019A Victorian-style cottage undergoing renovationsMemorialDay2013 0802008MemorialDay2013 080
On the map

Stoystown on the map, 1914 to 1994

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

Stoystown on the 1914 USGS mapStoystown on the 1944 USGS mapStoystown on the 1971 USGS mapStoystown on the 1981 USGS mapStoystown on the 1994 USGS map1914Windber 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 Stoystown.

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.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Somerset County - Quemahoning - ED 56-46, ED 56-47
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Somerset County - Quemahoning - ED 56-46, ED 56-47, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15

Questions about Stoystown’s history

What year was Stoystown founded?

In 1774, according to Wikidata. the census of 1820 counted 204 people here.

What is on the National Register in Stoystown?

Two places: the Hite House (listed 1998) and the Stoystown Historic District (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 (3), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.