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History · Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt’s post office opened in 1882, and 59% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1910 on.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
59%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Vanderbilt’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Vanderbilt began

When was Vanderbilt founded?

1882

The Vanderbilt post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1903.

2020 census: 419144 years
Founding year: the first Vanderbilt post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1903.

What stands out about Vanderbilt’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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Vanderbilt’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Vanderbilt’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPennsylvania: FAYETTE County, Enumerati…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Vanderbilt, in brief

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

Vanderbilt is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 414 at the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 476 tabulated in 2010. The town is named for the railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt and is served by the Connellsville Area School District.

Its first post office opened in 1882. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 476 to 419 (-12%).

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

Timeline

Vanderbilt, 1882 to 1949

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882Post officeThe Vanderbilt post office opens
  3. 1897Born hereAnthony Cavalcante is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1910In the archivePennsylvania: FAYETTE County, Enumeration District 87, Sheet No. 9B
  6. 1949Born hereJim Braxton is born here
By decade

Vanderbilt, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Pennsylvania: FAYETTE County, Enumeration District 87, Sheet No. 9B1910Pennsylvania: FAYETTE County, Enumeration District 87…
1920s–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
Today2 recent
Harold Miller memorial park2026Harold Miller memorial parkVanderbilt Pa 20112011Vanderbilt Pa 2011
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.

Pennsylvania: FAYETTE County, Enumeration District 87, Sheet No. 9B
Retake this viewPennsylvania: FAYETTE County, Enumeration District 87, Sheet No. 9B, 1910

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Vanderbilt

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

See all →
A
Anthony CavalcanteLawyer and politician · b. 1897
J
Jim BraxtonPlayer of American football · b. 1949

Questions about Vanderbilt’s history

What year was Vanderbilt founded?

The Vanderbilt post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1903.

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), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.