Girardville, Pennsylvania Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Girardville, Pennsylvania
Borough
Main Street in Girardville
Location of Girardville in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
Girardville, Pennsylvania Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Girardville, Pennsylvania Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Schuylkill
Settled	1832
Incorporated	1872
Government
• Type	Borough Council
Area
• Total	0.53 sq mi (1.37 km²)
• Land	0.52 sq mi (1.34 km²)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km²)
Elevation	1,007 ft (307 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	1,308
• Density	2,525.10/sq mi (975.56/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	17935
Area code(s)	570 and 272
FIPS code	42-29264

Girardville is a small town, also called a borough, in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It is nicknamed Guntown. The town is about 58 miles (93 km) northwest of Reading.

Girardville was founded in 1832. It was named after Stephen Girard from Philadelphia. He bought a lot of land in and around the town. In 1872, it officially became a borough.

This area has many Anthracite coal deposits. Coal mining used to be a very important job here. Many people worked in the mines. In 1900, about 3,666 people lived in Girardville. By 1910, the population grew to 4,396. The population in 2020 was 1,308 people.

Geography of Girardville
Population Changes Over Time
Education
Famous People from Girardville
Landmarks
- Churches
Notable Events
- St. Patrick's Day Parade
Gallery
See also

Geography of Girardville

Girardville is located at coordinates 40.792104 latitude and -76.284555 longitude.

The United States Census Bureau says the borough covers about 0.5 square miles (1.3 square kilometers). Most of this area is land. A very small part, about 1.85%, is water.

Population Changes Over Time

Road to Girardville.

The Anthracite on Main Street.

The number of people living in Girardville has changed a lot over the years. Here is a look at the population from different census years:

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	2,730	—
1890	3,584	31.3%
1900	3,666	2.3%
1910	4,396	19.9%
1920	4,482	2.0%
1930	4,891	9.1%
1940	4,602	−5.9%
1950	3,864	−16.0%
1960	2,958	−23.4%
1970	2,450	−17.2%
1980	2,268	−7.4%
1990	1,889	−16.7%
2000	1,742	−7.8%
2010	1,519	−12.8%
2020	1,308	−13.9%
2021 (est.)	1,316	−13.4%
Sources:

In 2000, there were 1,742 people living in Girardville. Most of the people were White. A very small number were Native American or from other backgrounds.

About 23.7% of households had children under 18. Many households were married couples. Some households had a female head with no husband. About 19% of households had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household had 2.27 people.

Education

The school district that serves Girardville is the North Schuylkill School District.

Famous People from Girardville

Girardville has been home to several notable individuals.

Dennis Cardinal Dougherty

Dennis Cardinal Dougherty was born in Homesville, a village near Girardville, in 1865. He became a very important religious leader. He served as the Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1918 until he passed away in 1951.

Captain Jack Crawford

"Captain Jack" Crawford was known as the "Poet Scout." He was an actor and a scout for General George Crook. He also performed with William F. Cody, famously known as Buffalo Bill. From 1869 to 1874, he was the postmaster and ran a small store in Girardville. He later moved west to look for gold. His poem "Only a Miner Killed" was inspired by his time as a miner in the area. Some say Bob Dylan used this poem as an idea for his song "Only a Hobo."

Colonel Patrick H. Monaghan

The Hibernian House in 2023

Colonel Patrick H. Monaghan was born in Ireland and came to America when he was five. He became an American citizen. He won the Medal of Honor, which is a very high award for bravery. He earned it for bravely getting back his regiment's flag during the American Civil War in 1864. He was also a teacher in Schuylkill County schools for many years. He even became the superintendent of the school system in Girardville.

Jimmy Gownley

Jimmy Gownley is a comic book artist who grew up in Girardville. He created the popular comic book series Amelia Rules! The series started in 2001 and has won several awards. It has been translated into many languages and even became a stage musical. In 2008, it won the Pennsylvania Library Association's One Book Award. Even though Jimmy Gownley doesn't live in Girardville anymore, his comics often mention the town. They are set in a made-up version of Connerton, a town that used to be near Girardville. He also mentions local places like Centiole's Pizza.

The Drulis Brothers

Joseph, Charles, and Albert Drulis were all born and raised in Girardville. All three brothers became football stars at Temple University. Charles and Albert even went on to play in the NFL. All three are in the Pennsylvania sports hall of fame. Chuck Drulis was a great player for the Chicago Bears. After playing, he became a coach in the NFL. He is known for inventing the "safety blitz" play while coaching for the St. Louis Cardinals. Chuck's wife, Dsle Drulis, was an artist. She designed all the art for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. She used her husband and sons as models for the sculptures there.

Mary Boland

Actress Mary Boland was born in Girardville. She appeared in many movies in the early to mid-1900s. Some of her well-known films include The Women, Ruggles of Red Gap, and Pride and Prejudice.

Landmarks

Churches

Girardville used to have five churches. These included the New Community Fellowship Church, a Methodist Episcopal church, a Lutheran church, and two Roman Catholic churches: St. Vincent de Paul and St. Joseph. St. Joseph's Church closed in 2015. St. Vincent's is still open and is now part of the Parish of St. Charles Borromeo.

Notable Events

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Girardville is famous for its annual St. Patrick's Day parade. It is one of the biggest parades in Pennsylvania. In 2008, former President Bill Clinton even joined the marchers. About 30,000 people came to watch the parade that day. The Annual AOH Girardville St. Patrick's Day Parade is known as "The Best and Biggest Little St. Patrick's Day Parade This Side of the Atlantic."