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Quick answers
How Dupont began
When was Dupont founded?
1889
The Dupont post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1917.
First census: 4,576 in 19202020 census: 2,539137 years
How historic is Dupont?
B−
More historic than 53% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Dupont post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1917.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Dupont’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dupont is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #712 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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 Dupont’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 Dupont’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 (±11.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1917.
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 Dupont’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The community was incorporated as a borough in 1917; it was originally called "Smithville," in honor of its first group of settlers. The community was later renamed Dupont after Dupont Explosives, a company which made explosives for mining. These explosives were used throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania in the 19th and 20th centuries. Dupont Explosives eventually closed after the advancement of technology in gathering coal.
Passages that mention Dupont, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Wilkes-Barré, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania1909 · page 143Read the page →
Read the text
Dupont — Li 19 10 Dupont was a mining village of Pittston Township, and, therefore, included in statistics and review of that township. In 1920 Dupont Borough had 4,576 inhabitants, and since March 26, 191 7, had been a borough. In 1926, its taxables numbered 2,290, and the assessed valuation then was $1,054,- 307. Albert Struck w^as burgess ; Albert J. Casper was president of school board, and Theron Davis was principal of a stafif of twenty-one teachers.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections1893 · page 583Read the page →
Read the text
The first sawmill was built by a Mr. Craig, on the Shortz place, and went to decay long ago. The pioneer gristmill was built on the Big Wapwallopen, near the site of the upper works of the Dupont Powder mills. The first and only tannery was built by Samuel Snyder, on the creek where J. Harter lived. Both mill and taunerj' have now gone to decay. The first store was opened about 1825, by Amasa Shoemaker, near John Fox's. The first tavern was opened in what is now Hobbie about 1825, by Peter Goode. John Harter built the first frame house in 1848. Bernard Whitebread, now living half a mile southeast of Hobbie, assisted
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
Dupont, 1889 to 1994
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Dupont post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1917.
How does Dupont rank for history?
Dupont is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #712 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.
How old are the homes in Dupont?
38% of Dupont’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.5 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1948.
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), 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.
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