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History · Exton

Exton’s post office opened in 1861, and 14 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Exton was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1930 on.

1861first post office
14on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Exton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Exton began

When was Exton founded?

1861

The Exton post office opened in 1861, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 5,622165 years
Founding year: the first Exton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Exton’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Landmarks on the Register14 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

14 historic places in Exton

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
14
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
30
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Exton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Exton.

Read it all →

Exton lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 (Lincoln Highway) and Pennsylvania Route 100 (Pottstown Pike). Beginning in the late 18th century, the Lancaster Road became a major transportation route between Philadelphia and the west, while what is now Route 100 was a regional north–south route to Pottstown. A theory exists that Exton was named as the "X" on the map, denoting this intersection, though more likely the village was named after one of the several Extons in the United Kingdom.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Exton, 1923 to 1999

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1923Born hereGeorge Baldwin is born here
  3. 1930In the archiveExton Motel, on Route 100 -- North of Route 30, Exton, Penna (85585)
  4. 1972Born hereKerr Smith is born here
  5. 1975In the archiveBooklet Cover 04
  6. 1985Born hereMatt Ryan is born here
  7. 1995Born hereKyle Lauletta is born here
  8. 1999In the archive3-4 view of cabins. Looking NE. - Williams Deluxe Cabins
By decade

Exton, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s1 item
Exton Motel, on Route 100 -- North of Route 30, Exton, Penna (85585)c. 1930Exton Motel, on Route 100 -- North of Route 30, Exton…
1940s–1960snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
1970s–1990s5 items
Booklet Cover 041975Booklet Cover 043-4 view of cabins. Looking NE. - Williams Deluxe Cabins19993-4 view of cabins. Looking NE. - Williams Deluxe Cab…3-4 view of cabins. Looking NE. - Williams Deluxe Cabins19993-4 view of cabins. Looking NE. - Williams Deluxe Cab…3-4 view of office. Looking NE. - Williams Deluxe Cabins19993-4 view of office. Looking NE. - Williams Deluxe Cab…Bus parking. Looking NE. - Williams Deluxe Cabins1999Bus parking. Looking NE. - Williams Deluxe Cabins
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Exton Motel, on Route 100 -- North of Route 30, Exton, Penna (85585)
Retake this viewExton Motel, on Route 100 -- North of Route 30, Exton, Penna (85585), c. 1930

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Exton’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

4 famous people were born in Exton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
K
Kerr SmithAmerican actor · b. 1972
Matt RyanAmerican football player · b. 1985
Kyle LaulettaAmerican football quarterback · b. 1995
G
George BaldwinAmerican football player and coach · b. 1923
Help out

Finish Exton’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewExton Motel, on Route 100 -- North of R…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Lionville1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWest Whiteland Township49 historic placesB+Uwchlan Township2 historic placesB

Questions about Exton’s history

What year was Exton founded?

The Exton post office opened in 1861, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia and Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.