Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Brownlee, Scott, Covered Bridge, the Plant's Covered Bridge and the Sprowl's Covered Bridge. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 2000.
The East Finley Township post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Simpsons Store (1837), East Finley (1852) and Gale (1896), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Finley Township is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
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 East Finley Township’s 22.2 sits above most of its state (82% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
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 →
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 East Finley Township’s history is told.
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Finley Township. 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 East Finley Township.
From Wikipedia’s history of East Finley Township.
The Scott Brownlee Covered Bridge, Plant's Covered Bridge, Sprowl's Covered Bridge and Wyit Sprowls Covered Bridge are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention East Finley Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
tinued in business there for eleven years and then sold out, determining to return to agricultural pursuits. He purchased that year one farm of ninety-five acres in East Finley Township and another farm of 108 acres adjoining his home farm of 125 acres. Mr. Clutter makes sheep raising a feature of his farming and is one of the large growers in East Finley Township.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Washington County - ED 63-…
In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Washington County - East Finley - …
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereBarry Stout is born here2 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2024PA 231 nb in East Finley Twp. (4), Aug. 2024
2024PA 231 nb in East Finley Twp. (3), Aug. 2024
2024PA 231 nb in East Finley Twp. (2), Aug. 2024
2024PA 231 nb in East Finley Twp. (1), Aug. 2024
2024PA 231 nb at PA 18, Aug. 2024
2024East Finley Twp., PA municipal building, Aug. 2024
2024East Finley Twp. scenery from PA 231, Aug. 2024
2012Pennsylvania State Route 231
2012Pennsylvania State Route 18
2010Wyit Sprowls Covered Bridge, western side
2010Sprowl's Covered Bridge
2010Scott Brownlee Covered Bridge site
2010Plant's Covered BridgeNo then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on East Finley Township’s page.
Retake this view · +15The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Between 1,289 and 1,489 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on East Finley Township’s Wikipedia page.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The East Finley Township post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
East Finley Township is more historic than 70% 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.
Three places: the Brownlee, Scott, Covered Bridge (listed 1979), the Plant's Covered Bridge (1979) and the Sprowl's Covered Bridge (1979).
23% of East Finley Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.2 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1982.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (15), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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 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.
