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Martin-Little HouseMartin-Little House · Photo: Smallbones · CC0
BHistory
History · Charlestown Township

6 of Charlestown Township’s places are on the National Register

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #582 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Most of Charlestown Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: 15 old photos and papers and maps from 1906 on.

6on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
15old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Charlestown Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Charlestown Township’s history

How historic is Charlestown Township?

B

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Charlestown Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Charlestown Township is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #582 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Charlestown Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19403.1% of homes (±2.4) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register6 listings, 105 historic buildings, 166 per 10,000 residents · typical PA town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 62%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 44%

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 Charlestown Township’s 166 sits above most of its state (91% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 105 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. 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 Charlestown Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Middle Pickering Rural Historic District takes in 76 historic buildings.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Charlestown Township, and 5 old place names are still on the map.A town in old photos15 old photos, postcards and papers, 1933–1958.On the map since 19067 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1999. Watch Charlestown Township change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

6 listings protect 105 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
105
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Martin-Little House
Martin-Little HouseOskar G. Stonorov HouseCharlestown Village Historic DistrictJohn Williams FarmJacob Wisner House, built 1761Middle Pickering Rural Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

International Style2
Victorian1
Italianate1
Vernacular Farmhouse1
Martin-Little HouseBuilding
Oskar G. Stonorov HouseInternational Style
Charlestown Village Historic DistrictVictorian
John Williams FarmDistrict
Jacob Wisner HouseBuilt 1761
Middle Pickering Rural Historic DistrictVernacular Farmhouse

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Charleston
1800–1828
Devault
1885–today
Aldham
1890–1903
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AldhamCharlestownCharlestown HuntDevaultHollow Run Farms
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Charlestown Township
Charlestown PresbyterianCharlestown United Methodist Church

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

By decade

Charlestown Township, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1950s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s8 items
FIRST FLOOR, NORTHEAST ROOM, FIREPLACE OF ORIGINAL KITCHEN - Job Harvey House, Church Road (Charlestown Township), Char…1933FIRST FLOOR, NORTHEAST ROOM, FIREPLACE OF ORIGINAL KI…FIRST FLOOR, SOUTHEAST ROOM, FIREPLACE - Job Harvey House, Church Road (Charlestown Township)1933FIRST FLOOR, SOUTHEAST ROOM, FIREPLACE - Job Harvey H…FIRST FLOOR, STAIR HALL - Job Harvey House, Church Road (Charlestown Township)1933FIRST FLOOR, STAIR HALL - Job Harvey House, Church Ro…FOREBAY WITH VERTICAL SIDING AND ROUND STONE COLUMNS. NOTE THAT THE FOREBAY EXTENDS TO SHED ON ONE END - Barn, State Ro…1933FOREBAY WITH VERTICAL SIDING AND ROUND STONE COLUMNS.…GENERAL VIEW - Barn, State Route 29 (Charlestown Township)1933GENERAL VIEW - Barn, State Route 29 (Charlestown Town…OTHER SIDE ELEVATION WITH ADDITION. NOTE SHIP WEATHERVANE - Barn, State Route 29 (Charlestown Township)1933OTHER SIDE ELEVATION WITH ADDITION. NOTE SHIP WEATHER…SIDE ELEVATION WITH FOREBAY SHED - Barn, State Route 29 (Charlestown Township)1933SIDE ELEVATION WITH FOREBAY SHED - Barn, State Route …SIDE VIEW - Barn, State Route 29 (Charlestown Township)1933SIDE VIEW - Barn, State Route 29 (Charlestown Townshi…
1940s–1950s5 items
Mrs. Artemas Holmes, residence in Charlestown, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a154491948Mrs. Artemas Holmes, residence in Charlestown, Pennsy…Mrs. Artemas Holmes, residence in Charlestown, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a154501948Mrs. Artemas Holmes, residence in Charlestown, Pennsy…Mrs. Artemas Holmes, residence in Charlestown, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a154511948Mrs. Artemas Holmes, residence in Charlestown, Pennsy…Mrs. Artemas Holmes, residence in Charlestown, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a154521948Mrs. Artemas Holmes, residence in Charlestown, Pennsy…Charleston PA131871pu1958Charleston PA131871pu
1960s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Date unknown2 to date
SOUTH FRONT AND EAST SIDE - Job Harvey House, Church Road (Charlestown Township)Date?SOUTH FRONT AND EAST SIDE - Job Harvey House, Church …Barn, State Route 29 (Charlestown Township)Date?Barn, State Route 29 (Charlestown Township)
Today3 recent
Job Harvey House2024Job Harvey HouseJob Harvey House, rear buildings2024Job Harvey House, rear buildingsCharlestown Methodist Episcopal Church2024Charlestown Methodist Episcopal Church
The story so far

Charlestown Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Charlestown Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Charlestown is an unincorporated area in Peters Township, in Franklin County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,671 to 6,001 (+6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Charlestown Township, 1761 to 1958

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1761BuiltJacob Wisner House is built
  3. 19th century
  4. 1800Post officeThe Charleston post office opens
  5. 1828Post officeThe Charleston post office closes
  6. 1885Post officeThe Devault post office opens
  7. 1890Post officeThe Aldham post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1903Post officeThe Aldham post office closes
  10. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1933In the archiveFIRST FLOOR, NORTHEAST ROOM, FIREPLACE OF ORIGINAL KITCHEN - Job Harvey House, Church Roa…
  12. 1948In the archiveMrs. Artemas Holmes, residence in Charlestown, Pennsylvania. LOC gsc.5a15449
  13. 1958In the archiveCharleston PA131871pu
On the map

Charlestown Township on the map, 1906 to 1999

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Charlestown Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Charlestown Township on the 1906 USGS mapCharlestown Township on the 1943 USGS mapCharlestown Township on the 1955 USGS mapCharlestown Township on the 1968 USGS mapCharlestown Township on the 1973 USGS mapCharlestown Township on the 1983 USGS mapCharlestown Township on the 1999 USGS map1906Phoenixville 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 Charlestown Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

FIRST FLOOR, NORTHEAST ROOM, FIREPLACE OF ORIGINAL KITCHEN - Job Harvey House, Church Road (Charlestown Township), Char…
Retake this viewFIRST FLOOR, NORTHEAST ROOM, FIREPLACE OF ORIGINAL KITCHEN - Job Harvey House, Church Road (Charlestown Township), Char…, 1933

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Charlestown Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Charlestown Township

Nobody well known was born in Charlestown Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Miles TellerAmerican actor · b. 1987
Samuel BarberAmerican composer · b. 1910
MatisyahuAmerican musician · b. 1979
Smedley ButlerUnited States Marine Corps general, two time Me… · b. 1881
Kyle GallnerAmerican actor · b. 1986
P
Peter FarrellyAmerican film director, producer and screenwrit… · b. 1956
Help out

Finish Charlestown Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewFIRST FLOOR, NORTHEAST ROOM, FIREPLACE …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Schuylkill Township5 historic placesB+Uwchlan Township2 historic placesBWest Pikeland Township6 historic placesB−East Whiteland Township4 historic placesB+

Questions about Charlestown Township’s history

How does Charlestown Township rank for history?

Charlestown Township is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #582 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 Charlestown Township?

6 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Martin-Little House (listed 1973, the first), and 3 historic districts, the Charlestown Village Historic District, the John Williams Farm and the Middle Pickering Rural Historic District, with 102 contributing buildings. 105 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Charlestown Township?

3% of Charlestown Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 2000.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (17), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.