On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Archbald is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #501 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Archbald’s overall grade.
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 Archbald’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.
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 (±6.7 points). Two sources give 1831.
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 Archbald’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Archbald yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Archbald is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is named for James Archbald, the first mayor of Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Before being renamed in Archbald's honor, the name of the settlement was White Oak Run. Most of the original settlers were Irish Catholics, fleeing the Great Famine. The population was 7,348 at the 2021 census. The village of Eynon is incorporated into Archbald.
Archbald was established in 1831. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 6,984 to 7,297 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Archbald, 1928–1929
Passages that mention Archbald, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Jubilee history commemorative of the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania ..1928 · page 837Read the page →
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John J. Kearney, the subject of this sketch, is one of Archbald’s leading citizens. He was a promoter of the organizers of the Archbald Bank, founded in 1909. He is a member of the Board of Directors, and the vice president of that flourishing institution. In all movements for the development and benefit of Archbald and its people, he has been in the van. He is one of its esteemed and useful citizens.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Origin and history of the famous Archbald pot-hole, Archbald, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania1929Read the page →
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“The fact that the ice marks occur on the summits of all the hills and mountains in this vicinity shows that the ice was, at one time, not less than 1,560 feet thick immediately above the pot-hole and 1,800 feet thick above the village of Archbald, while the probabilities are that it was considerably thicker at the time of its greatest development. itis improbable however that the hole was made when the ice was at its greatest thickness. It seems more consonant with what we may reasonably believe were the conditions of those times to suppose that toward
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Jubilee history commemorative of the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania ..1928 · page 836Read the page →
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When Archbald was incorporated as a borough, Feb. 7, 1877, he was elected to the school board and served two terms. From that period until 15 years ago, he took no active part in politics. In 1912 he was drafted into public service to fill a vacancy for two years on the Archbald Borough Council, and subsequently was elected for four years during which term he was President of the Council. His hearty enthusiasm and zeal in behalf of needed public improvements are outstanding marks of his career as a councilman, and while he was president, a comprehensive plan
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Origin and history of the famous Archbald pot-hole, Archbald, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania1929Read the page →
Read the text
above where it crosses the track of the gravity railroad—Bearing 5 22 W,S 10° W. : “600’ west of where the light track of the gravity railroad crosses the ‘Old Plank’ road between Archbald and Peckville, on the ridge of the rock out of the railroad—Bearing S 20° W. “About 100’ SW of the railroad crossing, just mentioned and the west side of the ‘Old Plank’ road—Bearing S 10° W.
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
Archbald, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1831, according to Wikidata. Archbald’s post office opened in 1847, and the census of 1870 counted 2,571 people here.
How does Archbald rank for history?
Archbald is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #501 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 Archbald?
27% of Archbald’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (4), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
2024
2011
2011
