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BHistory
History · White Oak

White Oak dates to 1778, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #587 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1940.

1778founded
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How White Oak began

When was White Oak founded?

1778

White Oak dates its founding to 1778 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1940.

First census: 5,227 in 19402020 census: 7,630248 years

How historic is White Oak?

B

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1889.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives White Oak’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, White Oak is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #587 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of White Oak’s overall grade.
Founding era1778, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194020.2% of homes (±6.6) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%B+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 62%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 43%

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 White Oak’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 1778.
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 (±6.6 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 White Oak’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 White Oak are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19045 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1993. Watch White Oak change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1778: 248 years of White Oak.Old housesHalf of White Oak’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start White Oak’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how White Oak’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
On the map

White Oak on the map, 1904 to 1993

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

White Oak on the 1904 USGS mapWhite Oak on the 1953 USGS mapWhite Oak on the 1960 USGS mapWhite Oak on the 1979 USGS mapWhite Oak on the 1993 USGS map1904Pittsburgh 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 White Oak.

Timeline

White Oak, 1778 to 1905

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1778
    FoundingWhite Oak is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1889Post officeThe Emblem post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1905Post officeThe Emblem post office closes
The story

How White Oak came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of White Oak.

Read it all →

White Oak was originally part of Versailles Township (one of the original townships of Allegheny County). In that era it was the site of Fort Reburn, a place of refuge for early settlers.

On March 21, 1948, a petition requesting the formation of White Oak Borough was submitted to the County Court. On June 24, 1948, Judge Russell H. Adams signed the decree of incorporation of the new borough. The first borough building was located at 860 Maple Street inside the old Bowery School.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

White Oak, decade by decade

Today11 recent
PA 48 sb in White Oak (1), May 20242024PA 48 sb in White Oak (1), May 2024PA 48 sb approaching McClintock Road, White Oak, May 20242024PA 48 sb approaching McClintock Road, White Oak, May …Lincoln Way eb in White Oak, PA, May 20242024Lincoln Way eb in White Oak, PA, May 2024Lincoln Way eb approaching PA 48, White Oak, May 20242024Lincoln Way eb approaching PA 48, White Oak, May 2024Fort Reburn Historical Marker2024Fort Reburn Historical Marker2022-05-15 13 58 18 View north along Pennsylvania State Route 48 (Jacks Run Road) at Lincoln Way in20222022-05-15 13 58 18 View north along Pennsylvania Sta…2022-05-15 13 46 32 View north along Pennsylvania State Route 148 (5th Avenue) at Pennsylvania Avenue on the border of …20222022-05-15 13 46 32 View north along Pennsylvania Sta…WEDO Studio2015WEDO StudioOliver Drive in2015Oliver Drive inWhite Oak Park2008White Oak ParkMap of Allegheny County PA Highlighting WhiteOak2007Map of Allegheny County PA Highlighting WhiteOakMap
People over time

White Oak, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00019401960198020002020Peak: 9,480

Between 5,227 and 9,480 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to White Oak

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

See all →
Earl HinesAmerican jazz pianist · b. 1903
Aline MacMahonActress · b. 1899
Marc ConnellyAmerican playwright · b. 1890
Swin CashAmerican Hall of Fame basketball player · b. 1979
Tamara TunieAmerican actress · b. 1959
Duane MichalsAmerican photographer · b. 1932
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Emblem, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Emblem
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside White Oak
Gemilas ChesedRippel Road JewishSaint Mary CzestochowaSaint Peter and Paul Slovak National Catholic

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

McKeesport5 historic placesANorth Versailles Township1 historic placeB−South Versailles TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGreenockIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElizabeth Township2 historic placesA−North Huntingdon Township2 historic placesB

Questions about White Oak’s history

What year was White Oak founded?

In 1778, according to Wikidata. White Oak’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1940 counted 5,227 people here.

How does White Oak rank for history?

White Oak is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #587 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 White Oak?

20% of White Oak’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1955.

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), 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.