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US 62-PA 8 sb in Reno (3), June 2024Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−History
History · Sugarcreek

Sugarcreek dates to 1796, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #393 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1909 on, and the census since 1970.

1796founded
0on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sugarcreek’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sugarcreek began

When was Sugarcreek founded?

1796

Sugarcreek dates its founding to 1796 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 5,944 in 19702020 census: 4,775230 years

How historic is Sugarcreek?

A−

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1865.
History grade

What drives Sugarcreek’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sugarcreek is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #393 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sugarcreek’s overall grade.
Founding era1796, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194041.8% of homes (±6.7) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%A+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 75%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 62%

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 Sugarcreek’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 1796.
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 (±6.7 points).

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 Sugarcreek’s past

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

Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Sugarcreek, and 8 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19094 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1972. Watch Sugarcreek change.Old housesHalf of Sugarcreek’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

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

Reno
1865–today
Sugar Creek
1872–1907
Wyattville
1892–1907
Rockygrove
1897–1900
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bleakley HillFoster CornerGallowayPoint HillRenoRocky GroveTakitezyWyattville
Gone or out of use
Bethesda ChurchchurchOak Forest Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sugarcreek
Forest ChapelFranklinMount Zion

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

Help out

Start Sugarcreek’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sugarcreek’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 map

Sugarcreek on the map, 1909 to 1972

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

Sugarcreek on the 1909 USGS mapSugarcreek on the 1911 USGS mapSugarcreek on the 1963 USGS mapSugarcreek on the 1972 USGS map1909Franklin 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 Sugarcreek.

The story so far

Sugarcreek, in brief

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

Sugarcreek is a borough in Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,824 at the 2020 census. It is the largest borough by total area in all of Venango County.

Sugarcreek was established in 1796. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 5,294 to 4,775 (-10%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Sugarcreek in 1919

Passages that mention Sugarcreek, cut from the printed page as they were published.

gheny river about two miles above Franklin some time previous to 1800, and in the year 1802 Ross Foster took a tract of land for settlement in Sugarcreek township, above Franklin on the Allegheny. When the first legal assessment of Venango county was made, in 1805, his property was valued at $235 (…
Venango County, Pennsylvania, her pioneers and people, embracing a general history of the county, and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families ..1919 · page 576Read the page →
Read the text

gheny river about two miles above Franklin some time previous to 1800, and in the year 1802 Ross Foster took a tract of land for settlement in Sugarcreek township, above Franklin on the Allegheny. When the first legal assessment of Venango county was made, in 1805, his property was valued at $235 (the rate at that time was three-tenths of one per cent.) ;

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Third ward. Leaving the Third ward in 1866, he leased what is now known as the County Farm. This place being sold, he moved to the old Brown farm near Sugarcreek station, but becoming discontented Mr. Brosang returned to New York, where he workwl as a merchant for his brother-in-law, Mr. H.
Venango County, Pennsylvania, her pioneers and people, embracing a general history of the county, and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families ..1919 · page 896Read the page →
Read the text

Third ward. Leaving the Third ward in 1866, he leased what is now known as the County Farm. This place being sold, he moved to the old Brown farm near Sugarcreek station, but becoming discontented Mr. Brosang returned to New York, where he workwl as a merchant for his brother-in-law, Mr. H.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Sugarcreek, 1796 to 1909

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1796
    FoundingSugarcreek is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1865Post officeThe Reno post office opens
  5. 1872Post officeThe Sugar Creek post office opens
  6. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Venango County - Sugarcreek - ED 6…
  7. 1892Post officeThe Wyattville post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1907Post officeThe Sugar Creek post office closes
  10. 1907Post officeThe Wyattville post office closes
  11. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Sugarcreek, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s2 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Venango County - Sugarcreek - ED 61-59, ED 61-60, ED 61-61, ED 6…18801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania …1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Venango County - Sugarcreek - ED 61-59, ED 61-60, ED 61-61, ED 6…18801940 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
Today9 recent
US 62-PA 8 sb in Sugarcreek, June 20242024US 62-PA 8 sb in Sugarcreek, June 2024US 62-PA 8 sb in Reno (3), June 20242024US 62-PA 8 sb in Reno (3), June 2024US 62-PA 8 sb in Reno (2), June 20242024US 62-PA 8 sb in Reno (2), June 2024US 62-PA 8 sb in Reno (1), June 20242024US 62-PA 8 sb in Reno (1), June 2024US 62-PA 8 sb entering Reno, June 20242024US 62-PA 8 sb entering Reno, June 2024US 322 wb in Wyattville, PA, June 20242024US 322 wb in Wyattville, PA, June 2024US 322 wb in Village of Sugarcreek, PA, June 20242024US 322 wb in Village of Sugarcreek, PA, June 2024US 322 wb at PA 417, June 20242024US 322 wb at PA 417, June 2024US 322 wb approaching PA 427, June 20242024US 322 wb approaching PA 427, June 2024
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 - Venango County - Sugarcreek - ED 61-59, ED 61-60, ED 61-61, ED 6…
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Venango County - Sugarcreek - ED 61-59, ED 61-60, ED 61-61, ED 6…, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Sugarcreek, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,500198020002020Peak: 5,954

Between 4,775 and 5,954 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Sugarcreek

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

See all →
Josephine McKimAmerican swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, former… · b. 1910
Gabby GabreskiAmerican flying ace · b. 1919
Woody JacksonAmerican composer · b. 1970
Alexander HaysUnion Army general · b. 1819
Alexander McDowellPolitician · b. 1845
F
Francis Patrick McFarlandCatholic bishop · b. 1819
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Franklin2 historic placesA+Frenchcreek TownshipIts storyCCranberry TownshipIts storyBOil City6 historic placesA+Oakland TownshipIts storyCCornplanter Township1 historic placeA−Jackson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCanal TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSandycreek TownshipIts storyB−

Questions about Sugarcreek’s history

What year was Sugarcreek founded?

In 1796, according to Wikidata. Sugarcreek’s post office opened in 1865, and the census of 1970 counted 5,944 people here.

How does Sugarcreek rank for history?

Sugarcreek is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #393 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 Sugarcreek?

42% of Sugarcreek’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1953.

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 (11), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.