Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1956 on and old-book passages.
The Dryville post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dryville’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Dryville.
The village grew around the Henry Mertz Lutheran Church, which opened in 1747. Dryville was named in 1852 after Benjamin Dry, a local postmaster.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Dryville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Dryville comprises fifteen residences, a tavern, store, church and eighty inhabitants. It is situated near the northern line of the township, about one and a half miles from Lyons station, on the East Pennsylvania Railroad. It received its name in 1852, when the post-office was established. Previously it had been called " Stony Point," Benjamin E. Dry was appointed post-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Dryville, is the old Roth mill, built as early as 1810. It has a small capacity and is now operated as the property of C. Keller. Near by, the Yoder family had a saw-mill many years ago, which has become better known as the Sander mill, The Tyson Forge, at Strunk's mill, was discontinued long ago, but the mill is still carried
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dryville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Dryville.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Dryville post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
