Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1850.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Duquesne’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Duquesne is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #535 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 Duquesne’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 Duquesne’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1789.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.1 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Duquesne’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
The city of Duquesne was settled in 1789 and incorporated in 1891. The city derives its name from Fort Duquesne.
Duquesne Works, a productive steel mill that was part of Carnegie Steel Corporation and later part of U.S. Steel, was the heart and soul of Duquesne during its brightest moments in the early 20th century. Duquesne was home to the largest blast furnace in the world, named the "Dorothy Six". Bob Dylan's song "Duquesne Whistle" (Tempest, 2012) is dedicated to it.
Passages that mention Duquesne, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Duquesne, Pennsylvania. Industrial, historical supplement to the Observer1902Read the page →
Read the text
holders residing within said limits and were desirous that said village be incorporated into a borough under the name of "The Borough of Duquesne," according to certain boundaries which were set forth by courses and distances in words at length, excepting certain courses and distances along the easterly side (the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Duquesne, Pennsylvania. Industrial, historical supplement to the Observer1902Read the page →
Read the text
BEAUTIFUL as is the story of the erection of Fort Duquesne and the brilliant capture of the citadel by the French, and rich in history, has been therise of the town of Duquesne.
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
Duquesne, 1789 to 1994
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.
In 1789, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Duquesne’s post office opened in 1850, and the census of 1860 counted 870 people here.
How does Duquesne rank for history?
Duquesne is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #535 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 Duquesne?
40% of Duquesne’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 1946.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (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.
1897
1897
1897
1900
1900
1994
1994
2007