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B−History
History · Dalton

Dalton’s post office opened in 1871, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1880.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Dalton began

When was Dalton founded?

1871

The Dalton post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1895.

First census: 172 in 18802020 census: 1,284155 years

How historic is Dalton?

B−

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Dalton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1895.
History grade

What drives Dalton’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dalton is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dalton’s overall grade.
Founding era1871, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194033.0% of homes (±5.2) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%ANational RegisterNo listings counted · typical PA town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 50%
NewerOlder

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 Dalton’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1895 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

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 Dalton’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Dalton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18924 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1994. Watch Dalton change.Old housesHalf of Dalton’s homes were built before 1962.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dalton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dalton’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Dalton on the map, 1892 to 1994

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

Dalton on the 1892 USGS mapDalton on the 1946 USGS mapDalton on the 1969 USGS mapDalton on the 1994 USGS map1892Dundaff 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 Dalton.

The story so far

Dalton, in brief

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

Dalton is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located approximately eight miles north of the city of Scranton in a suburban area known as "the Abingtons." Dalton is also approximately three miles north of Clarks Summit, the hub of the Abington community. The population was 1,283 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,234 to 1,284 (+4%).

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

Timeline

Dalton, 1822 to 1938

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1822Born hereGilbert Stephen Bailey is born here
  3. 1871Post officeThe Dalton post office opens
  4. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1938Born hereTimmy Mayer is born here
By decade

Dalton, decade by decade

Today8 recent
Dalton, PA veterans memorial and street clock, April 20252025Dalton, PA veterans memorial and street clock, April …Dalton, PA Municipal Building, April 20252025Dalton, PA Municipal Building, April 2025Dalton, PA Fire Company, April 20252025Dalton, PA Fire Company, April 2025USPS Dalton PA 184142015USPS Dalton PA 18414Our Lady of the Abingtons2015Our Lady of the AbingtonsDalton PA church2015Dalton PA churchCongrats sign2015Congrats signFrontside of Northern Electric Brookside power plant in La Plume PA2013Frontside of Northern Electric Brookside power plant …
People over time

Dalton, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,40018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,383

Between 172 and 1,383 people in every census since 1880.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dalton’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Dalton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
T
Timmy MayerAmerican racing driver · b. 1938
Gilbert Stephen BaileyAmerican Baptist clergyman · b. 1822
Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

Dalton’s post office has been open since 1871.

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Dalton
Dalton JewishFairlawnShoemaker

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

North Abington TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGlenburn TownshipIts storyCWest Abington TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWaverly Township1 historic placeA−La Plume TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Dalton’s history

What year was Dalton founded?

The Dalton post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1895.

How does Dalton rank for history?

Dalton is more historic than 50% 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.

How old are the homes in Dalton?

33% of Dalton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1962.

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 (8), 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.