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History · Penn

Penn’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Penn. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1859established
0old images & papers
1recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Penn is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Penn had a population of 435. The borough was named for Pennsylvania founder William Penn.

Penn was established in 1859. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 475 to 435 (-8%). Half of its homes were built before 1938.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Penn yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Penn’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Penn

See all 30 →
Bruce WeberBruce WeberGreensburg · 5 miSKSheila KelleyGreensburg · 5 miSlide HamptonSlide HamptonJeannette · 1 miVic MignognaVic MignognaGreensburg · 5 miAJAngela JonesGreensburg · 5 miTony VaccaroTony VaccaroGreensburg · 5 mi
By decade

Penn, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today1 photo
Borough of Penn 2012CommonsBorough of Penn 20122012
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Penn is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Penn has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Brush Creek Salems Church in Hempfield, 1.1 miles away.

Penn and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Penn. Tap a dot.
Brush Creek Salems ChurchBushy Run BattlefieldBrush HillFullerton InnAndrew and Jennie McFarlane HouseAcademy Hill Historic District

Closest to Penn

Brush Creek Salems ChurchHempfield · Building1.1miBushy Run BattlefieldPenn · Site2.1miBrush HillIrwin · Building2.5miFullerton InnNorth Huntingdon · Building4.4miAndrew and Jennie McFarlane HouseNorth Huntingdon · Built 17985.1mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Brush Creek Salems Church’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Penn?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Penn’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Adamsburg📜 Jeannette📜 Manor📜 Irwin

From Wikimedia Commons (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Penn, PAView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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