Cornwall dates to 1737, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #123 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Cornwall Iron Furnace, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 55 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1833.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cornwall’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cornwall is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #123 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cornwall’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 Cornwall’s 123 sits above most of its state (90% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 57 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1737.
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 (±7.5 points).
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 Cornwall’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Cornwall was initially settled by Peter Grubb in 1734. Peter was a Chester County stonemason who came to, what was then Lancaster County, in search of high quality stone for quarrying. First building his house and then a store, he discovered magnetite iron ore nearby and decided to test its quality, he found the ore to be exceedingly pure. Grubb wrote to Philadelphia and in 1734 was granted a warrant to purchase 300 acres (1.2 km2) of land. For three years Peter followed veins of ore until he found a large deposit that was easily accessible; however, this ore was not within the bounds of his property. So in 1737 he purchased an additional 142.5 acres (0.577 km2) of land. In 1742, Peter built a cold blast furnace and named it Cornwall, after his father's birthplace in England. The Cornwall Iron Mine was, at one time, the largest open-pit mining operation in the world. They were mined con…
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 1737, according to Wikidata. Cornwall’s post office opened in 1833, and the census of 1930 counted 1,837 people here.
How does Cornwall rank for history?
Cornwall is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #123 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 Cornwall?
Two places: the Cornwall Iron Furnace (listed 1966) and the Alden Villa (2011).
How old are the homes in Cornwall?
18% of Cornwall’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.5 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1986.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.
★ Landmark
1873