On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Carroll Township is more historic than 68% 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 West Carroll Township’s overall grade.
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 West Carroll 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 (±7.4 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 West Carroll Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Carroll Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Patton 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 West Carroll Township.
Places that used to be
Old corners and burying grounds
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside West Carroll Township
Bakerton United Methodist ChurchSacred HeartSaint JosephUnion
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
West Carroll Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Carroll Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
West Carroll Township is a township in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States and consists of the communities of Bakerton, Barnes, Carrolltown Road, Elmora and St. Benedict. The population was 1,296 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,296 to 1,186 (-8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
West Carroll Township, 1898 to 1902
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
West Carroll Township is more historic than 68% 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 West Carroll Township?
45% of West Carroll Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1944.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
