Charleroi’s post office opened in 1890, and 60% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #162 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 1,692 buildings. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: the first Charleroi post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Charleroi’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Charleroi is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #162 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Charleroi’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 Charleroi’s 4,031 sits above most of its state (100% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1,694 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% 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 (±7.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Charleroi’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Charleroi got its name from the Belgian city of Charleroi. Many Belgian immigrants lived in the Monongahela area at the end of the 19th century, some of whom were glass makers.
The Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, now PPG Industries, had one of its major factories located at the current chamber plaza, at one point employing up to a thousand employees, making it one of the largest glass factories in the world at the time. For years it was the home to one of Corning Glass Companies leading employers. It is home to Corelle Brands, which makes Pyrex. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Pyrex products, Charleroi renamed itself "Pyrex, PA" for 100 days in 2015.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Charleroi. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Brownsville 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 Charleroi.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Charleroi in 1910
Passages that mention Charleroi, cut from the printed page as they were published.
20th century history of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania1910 · page 1098Read the page →
Read the text
riage, located at Greensburg, Pa., and engaged in civil engineering with a contracting firm in railroad work, at which he continued until about 1904, when he came to Charleroi, Pa., and for two years afterward ran the Hotel Charleroi, which he later disposed of and since 1907 has been owner and manager of the Hotel Walfred, which is one of the modern and most extensively patronized hotels of Charleroi.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
20th century history of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania1910 · page 800Read the page →
Read the text
rears prior to coming to Eoscoe. His education was secured in the local schools. His brother, Thomas J. Underwood, was the first agent appointed at the railroad station at Charleroi, and Joseph H. assisted there to some extent and also around his father 's mines and finally was permitted to go on the boats belonging to his father's company, and make the voyage to New Orleans, and he remained two years on the river, after
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
Charleroi, 1880 to 1971
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.
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.
The Charleroi post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Charleroi rank for history?
Charleroi is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #162 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.
What is on the National Register in Charleroi?
Three places: the US Post Office-Charleroi (listed 1990), the First National Bank of Charleroi (2007) and the Charleroi Historic District (2007).
How old are the homes in Charleroi?
60% of Charleroi’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 (6), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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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