Emmaus dates to 1759, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #139 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Shelter House, the Jacob Jr. Ehrenhardt House and the Heinrich Knauss House. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1939 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1806.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Emmaus’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Emmaus is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #139 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Emmaus’ 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 Emmaus’ 2.5 sits near the middle of its state (60% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1759.
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 (±5.9 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Emmaus’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Emmaus was settled in the early 1700s during the colonial era by German Protestants of the Lutheran and Reformed faiths who were fleeing religious persecution in Europe. Its earliest German settlers were primarily farmers.
In 1741, the land on which present-day Emmaus is located was donated to the Moravian Church by Sebastian Heinrich Knauss and Jacob Ehrenhardt for the purpose of creating a closed faith-based village. The village was originally named Salzburg. At the time of its founding in 1759, Emmaus was one of four leading Moravian communities in the Thirteen Colonies; Bethlehem, Lititz, and Nazareth, each in Pennsylvania, were the three others.
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 1759, according to Wikidata. Emmaus’ post office opened in 1806, and the census of 1860 counted 381 people here.
How does Emmaus rank for history?
Emmaus is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #139 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 Emmaus?
Three places: the Shelter House (listed 1978), the Jacob Jr. Ehrenhardt House (2003) and the Heinrich Knauss House (2008).
How old are the homes in Emmaus?
30% of Emmaus’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1955.
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 (11), 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) 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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