Coatesville’s post office opened in 1812, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #80 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
9 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Lukens Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 464 buildings between them. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: the first Coatesville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1915.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Coatesville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Coatesville is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #80 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Coatesville’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 Coatesville’s 353 sits above most of its state (93% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 472 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% 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 (±6.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1915.
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 Coatesville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Coatesville, building by building, 1886–1921
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.
Varying cultures of Native Americans lived in this area. The first known settlement in the area which would be known as Coatesville was a historic Lenape village built along the West Branch of the Brandywine River. This settlement was a post for fur trading with the earliest American settlers. The Brandywine River has featured prominently in the history of Coatesville.
William Fleming, originally from Scotland, is one of the earliest landowners on record. He built a log cabin in the area of Harmony Street and 5th Avenue and owned about 207 acres (0.84 km2) of land bordering the Brandywine River.
Passages that mention Coatesville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches1881 · page 209Read the page →
Read the text
from parts of the townships of West Cain, West Brandywine, East Cain, and Sadsbury, the larger part of its territory being taken from the last two townships, with the village of Coatesville in about the centre of it. It was reduced in size first by the incorporation of the borough of Coatesville in 1867, and next by the erection of the new township of Cain in 1868, which latter included all of Valley township east of Coatesville. The township is now
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches1881Read the page →
Read the text
Rev. Doyle was the first priest resident at Parkesburg. He came about 1855 or 1856. From that time forward for several years Coatesville was attended once every fuw weeks from Parkesburg ; but, the town growing in importance, and the number of Catholics increasing even beyond the number in the parish proper, provision had to be made for them, and preparations were made to build a church, of which the corner-stone was laid in 1870.
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
Coatesville, 1812 to 1995
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.
The Coatesville post office opened in 1812, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1915.
How does Coatesville rank for history?
Coatesville is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #80 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 Coatesville?
9 listings: 6 buildings, 2 historic districts, the Lukens Historic District and the Coatesville Historic District, with 464 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 472 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Coatesville?
37% of Coatesville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1952.
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 (9), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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.
★ Landmark
1880
c. 1930
c. 1930
c. 1930
c. 1930
