The Durham Township post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Monroe (1823), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,094213 years
How historic is Durham Township?
A
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Durham Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Durham Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Durham Township is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Durham Township’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 Durham Township’s 9.6 sits above most of its state (77% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
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 (±7.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Durham Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Durham Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1890Easton 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 Durham Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Monroe, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Durham
1813–today
Monroe
1823–1849
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
DurhamDurham FurnaceDurham Hill FarmsMonroe
Gone or out of use
Durham Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Durham Township
Durham
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Durham Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Durham Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Durham is an unincorporated community in Durham Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Durham is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Route 212 and Durham Road.
Its first post office opened in 1813. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,144 to 1,094 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Durham Township, 1727 to 1890
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Durham Township post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Durham Township rank for history?
Durham Township is more historic than 90% 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.
What is on the National Register in Durham Township?
One place: the Durham Mill and Furnace (listed 1976).
How old are the homes in Durham Township?
37% of Durham Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1957.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
