On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Hanover Township is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #640 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Hanover 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 East Hanover Township’s 3.3 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
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 (±4.5 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 East Hanover 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 East Hanover Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1892Hummelstown 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 East Hanover Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, West Hanover, opened and closed inside today’s town.
West Hanover
1821–1895
Grantville
1865–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
EnglewoodGrantvilleManada GapShellsville
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside East Hanover Township
BalsbaughEast Hanover Mennonite ChurchManada United ChristianOld Hanover Presbyterian ChurchyardSaint Johns United Methodist ChurchSaint PaulsShells
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story
How East Hanover Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of East Hanover Township.
The township traces its roots to the founding of the Hanover (Presbyterian) church in 1735. Hanover parish broke off of the Derry parish (modern day Hershey) to serve settlers north of the Swatara Creek. The original church is gone, but the cemetery remains between the village of Grantville and the base of the blue mountain.
Hanover Township was later divided into East Hanover, West Hanover, and South Hanover townships. When Lebanon County was formed in 1813, East Hanover Township was partitioned to form East Hanover Township, Lebanon County.
The John Todd House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
East Hanover Township is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #640 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.
What is on the National Register in East Hanover Township?
One place: the John Todd House (listed 1988).
How old are the homes in East Hanover Township?
10% of East Hanover Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1987.
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 (5), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.
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