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History · Yorkana

Yorkana dates to 1800, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1908 on and the census since 1920.

1800founded
0on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Yorkana began

When was Yorkana founded?

1800

Yorkana dates its founding to 1800 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 179 in 19202020 census: 239226 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1875.

What stands out about Yorkana’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 Yorkana are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19086 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1999. Watch Yorkana change.Old housesHalf of Yorkana’s homes were built before 1952.Deep rootsEstablished in 1800: 226 years of Yorkana.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Yorkana’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Yorkana’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

Yorkana on the map, 1908 to 1999

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

Yorkana on the 1908 USGS mapYorkana on the 1910 USGS mapYorkana on the 1953 USGS mapYorkana on the 1968 USGS mapYorkana on the 1973 USGS mapYorkana on the 1999 USGS map1908York 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 Yorkana.

The story so far

Yorkana, in brief

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

Yorkana is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 236 at the 2020 census. It is a linear town, spread along Mt. Pisgah Road, which is called Main Street in town. It is part of the York–Hanover metropolitan area. The borough includes several dozen houses, two churches, a local fire company, and a few businesses.

Yorkana was established in 1800. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 229 to 239 (+4%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Yorkana in 1886

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

C, the postoffice has been given the name of Yorkana. It is seven miles distant from York. Early in the present century two men, one named Miller and the other Jacobs, each platted a town here. One place was called Millerstown and the other Jacobstown. Miller succeeded in selling a few lots, and a
History of York County Pennsylvania From the Earliest Time to the Present1886Read the page →
Read the text

C, the postoffice has been given the name of Yorkana. It is seven miles distant from York. Early in the present century two men, one named Miller and the other Jacobs, each platted a town here. One place was called Millerstown and the other Jacobstown. Miller succeeded in selling a few lots, and a

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.

Timeline

Yorkana, 1800 to 1909

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1800
    FoundingYorkana is established
  3. 1875Post officeThe Yorkana post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1909Post officeThe Yorkana post office closes
By decade

Yorkana, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Yorkana, York County, PA 042015Yorkana, York County, PA 04Yorkana, York County, PA 032015Yorkana, York County, PA 03Yorkana, York County, PA 022015Yorkana, York County, PA 02Yorkana, York County, PA 012015Yorkana, York County, PA 01House in Yorkana, York County, Pennsylvania 022015House in Yorkana, York County, Pennsylvania 02House in Yorkana, York County, Pennsylvania 012015House in Yorkana, York County, Pennsylvania 01
People over time

Yorkana, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 296

Between 179 and 296 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Yorkana

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

See all →
Cameron MitchellAmerican actor · b. 1918
Simon CameronAmerican businessman and politician · b. 1799
L
Lzzy HaleAmerican singer and guitarist · b. 1983
L
Lilian WelshAmerican physician, educator, and suffragist · b. 1858
Alan DawsonAmerican musician · b. 1929
A
Amelia Reynolds LongAmerican novelist · b. 1904
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Yorkana had its own post office from 1875 to 1909.

Yorkana
1875–1909
18701950today

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

Questions about Yorkana’s history

What year was Yorkana founded?

In 1800, according to Wikidata. Yorkana’s post office opened in 1875, and the census of 1920 counted 179 people here.

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 (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.