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B+History
History · Summerhill Township

Summerhill Township dates to 1810, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

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

Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1880.

1810founded
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Summerhill Township began

When was Summerhill Township founded?

1810

Summerhill Township dates its founding to 1810 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 343 in 18802020 census: 2,303216 years

How historic is Summerhill 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. First post office: 1899.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Summerhill Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Summerhill 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 Summerhill Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1810, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194029.9% of homes (±8.8) · 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 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 Summerhill 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.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1810.
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 (±8.8 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 Summerhill 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 Summerhill Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Summerhill Township, and 4 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19024 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1981. Watch Summerhill Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 890 in 1920; 479 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Summerhill Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Summerhill 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.

Lloydell
1899–1966
Onnalinda
1901–1941
Beaverdale
1902–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BeaverdaleLloydellOnnalindaWilmore Heights
9cemeteries and burying grounds inside Summerhill Township
Mount OliveMount UnionPringle HillSaint BartholomewSaint Joseph'sSaint Mary's Byzantine CatholicSaints Peter and PaulSherbineWilmore United Brethren Church

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

On the map

Summerhill Township on the map, 1902 to 1981

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

Summerhill Township on the 1902 USGS mapSummerhill Township on the 1963 USGS mapSummerhill Township on the 1972 USGS mapSummerhill Township on the 1981 USGS map1902Ebensburg 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 Summerhill Township.

The story

How Summerhill Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Summerhill Township.

Read it all →

A small borough in the Allegheny Mountains in southwestern Pennsylvania, Summerhill was settled in the early 19th century and grew in large part from the regional presence of Allegheny Portage Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad.

In 1794, Thomas and Barbara Croyle and their family were among the first to settle in the town. Their family homestead, a two-story stone structure that still stands, served the family as a fortress against Indian attacks. According to some sources, Indians burned the Croyles' cabin and property, causing the family to seek refuge at Fort Bedford. By 1800, Barbara Croyle chose to rebuild their homestead with stone; she limited windows to two sides of the house to keep it stronger if attacked.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Summerhill Township, 1810 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1810
    FoundingSummerhill Township is established
  3. 1899Post officeThe Lloydell post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1901Post officeThe Onnalinda post office opens
  6. 1902Post officeThe Beaverdale post office opens
  7. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 890
  9. 1941Post officeThe Onnalinda post office closes
  10. 1966Post officeThe Lloydell post office closes
By decade

Summerhill Township, decade by decade

Today14 recent
Summerhill, PA post office, Aug. 20242024Summerhill, PA post office, Aug. 2024Summerhill, PA park, Aug. 20242024Summerhill, PA park, Aug. 2024Summerhill, PA fire department, Aug. 20242024Summerhill, PA fire department, Aug. 2024Summerhill, PA borough hall, Aug. 20242024Summerhill, PA borough hall, Aug. 2024Summerhill Region - panoramio (16)2016Summerhill Region - panoramio (16)Summerhill Region - panoramio (11)2016Summerhill Region - panoramio (11)Summerhill December 2015 - panoramio (16)2015Summerhill December 2015 - panoramio (16)Summerhill December 2015 - panoramio (14)2015Summerhill December 2015 - panoramio (14)Summerhill December 2015 - panoramio (10)2015Summerhill December 2015 - panoramio (10)St. John's ELCA2015St. John's ELCASummerhill - panoramio (3)2014Summerhill - panoramio (3)Summerhill - panoramio (10)2014Summerhill - panoramio (10)Summer Hill Township - panoramio (27)2014Summer Hill Township - panoramio (27)Summer Hill Township - panoramio (22)2014Summer Hill Township - panoramio (22)
People over time

Summerhill Township, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 890

Peaked at 890 in 1920; 479 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Summerhill Township

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

See all →
Charles BronsonAmerican actor · b. 1921
Len ChappellAmerican basketball player · b. 1941
Ashley MillerAmerican screenwriter and producer · b. 1971
Alvin EvansUnion Army soldier, politician and banker · b. 1845
B
Bob O'ConnorAmerican mayor · b. 1944
J
James Russell LeechAmerican politician · b. 1888
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Adams Township2 historic placesAPortage Township1 historic placeA−Croyle Township1 historic placeA−Pavia TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBeaverdaleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCambria Township2 historic placesB+Munster Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Summerhill Township’s history

What year was Summerhill Township founded?

In 1810, according to Wikidata. Summerhill Township’s post office opened in 1899, and the census of 1880 counted 343 people here.

How does Summerhill Township rank for history?

Summerhill 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 Summerhill Township?

30% of Summerhill Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.8 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 (14), Wikipedia, 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.