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History · West Decatur

West Decatur’s post office opened in 1862, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1903 on and old-book passages.

1862first post office
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
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Photo: 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
Quick answers

How West Decatur began

When was West Decatur founded?

1862

The West Decatur post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 453164 years
Founding year: the first West Decatur post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about West Decatur’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 West Decatur are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19034 editions of the USGS map, 1903 to 1993. Watch West Decatur change.Old housesHalf of West Decatur’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start West Decatur’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

West Decatur on the map, 1903 to 1993

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

West Decatur on the 1903 USGS mapWest Decatur on the 1945 USGS mapWest Decatur on the 1969 USGS mapWest Decatur on the 1993 USGS map1903Houtzdale 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 Decatur.

The story so far

West Decatur, in brief

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

West Decatur is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census the population of West Decatur was 453. It lies in the southeast corner of Boggs Township along Blue Ball Road just south of U.S. Route 322 between Wallaceton and Philipsburg. It was also known as Blue Ball, for the nearby blue ball clay deposits, but the local post office received the name West Decatur. West Decatur lies along the old Philipsburg and Susquehanna Turnpike, which was part of a through route between Philadelphia and Erie, and is thus now called Old Erie Pike. The community was also on the Clearfield Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroa…

Its first post office opened in 1862. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 533 to 453 (-15%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about West Decatur in 1911

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

school. In April, 1903, he moved to Blue Ball, where he owns a comfortable and attractive residence and also the postoffice building, and has been postmaster at West Decatur ever since. He is serving as secretary of the school board and has also served as judge of elections.
Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania1911 · page 867Read the page →
Read the text

school. In April, 1903, he moved to Blue Ball, where he owns a comfortable and attractive residence and also the postoffice building, and has been postmaster at West Decatur ever since. He is serving as secretary of the school board and has also served as judge of elections.

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.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Famous people

Famous people close to West Decatur

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

See all →
Edward ScofieldUnion Army officer and governor of Wisconsin · b. 1842
Doug BrocailAmerican baseball player · b. 1967
Anthony A. MitchellAmerican conductor · b. 1918
B
Bud GeorgeAmerican politician · b. 1927
Don Hilary GingeryAmerican politician · b. 1884
W
William Irvin SwoopeAmerican politician · b. 1862
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Boggs TownshipIts storyB−Decatur TownshipIts storyC+Morris TownshipIts storyB−

Questions about West Decatur’s history

What year was West Decatur founded?

The West Decatur post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.