Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1800.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Catawissa’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Catawissa is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Catawissa’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 Catawissa’s 6.5 sits above most of its state (71% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.4 points). Two sources give 1774.
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 Catawissa’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Catawissa. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1889Catawissa 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 Catawissa.
Every building
Catawissa, building by building, 1885–1930
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The area where Catawissa now is was originally owned by William Henry in 1769. Catawissa was laid out in 1787. At this time it was referred to as "Hughesburg" or "Catawissey". The town's lots were distributed by lottery. When boats began to commonly travel along the Susquehanna River, Catawissa became locally important. Talk of a school in Catawissa began in 1796, and one was built there in 1800. The Catawissa Fire Company was founded in 1827. The Catawissa Deposit Bank was incorporated in 1871. The Catawissa Water Company was formed in 1882. A number of Masonic establishments were built in Catawissa in the mid to late 1800s.
The Catawissa Friends Meetinghouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Passages that mention Catawissa, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Columbia County, Pennsylvania. From the earliest times.1883 · page 46Read the page →
Read the text
Catawissa Creek rises in Schuylkill county and runs through the entire length of the townshij)s of Beaver, Main and Catawissa and empties into the North Branch Susquehanna at the point where the townships of Catawissa and Franklin strike the river.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Columbia County, Pennsylvania. From the earliest times.1883 · page 43Read the page →
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viz. : Beginning at a corner in the line dividing the county of Columbia from the county of Schuylkill, thence extending through the township of Catawissa north ten de>.;rees ea<t four miles and a half to a pine tree on the little mountain, thence extending through the townships of Catawissa and Mifflin north forty -five degrees east five miles to a stone on Buck's mountain anrt in a line dividing the county of Columbia from the county of Luzerne,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Columbia County, Pennsylvania1883 · page 46Read the page →
Read the text
Catawissa Ckkek rises in Schuylkill county and runs through the entire length of the townships of Beaver, Main and Catawissa and empties into the North Branch Susquehanna at the point where the townships of Catawissa and Franklin strike the river.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Columbia County, Pennsylvania1883 · page 43Read the page →
Read the text
viz. : Beginning at a corner in the line dividing the county of Columbia from the county of Schuylkill, thence extending through the township of Catawissa north ten dea^rees east four miles and a half to a pine tree on the little mountain, thence extending through the townships of Catawissa and Mifflin north forty five degrees east five miles to a stone on Buck's mountain and in a line dividing the county of Columbia from the county of Luzerne,
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
Catawissa, 1774 to 1940
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 1774, according to Wikidata. Catawissa’s post office opened in 1800, and the census of 1880 counted 1,427 people here.
How does Catawissa rank for history?
Catawissa is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns. 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.
What is on the National Register in Catawissa?
One place: the Catawissa Friends Meetinghouse (listed 1978).
How old are the homes in Catawissa?
44% of Catawissa’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1946.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.
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