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History · Gratz

Gratz dates to 1805, and 64% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1860.

1805founded
0on the National Register
64%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Gratz began

When was Gratz founded?

1805

Gratz dates its founding to 1805 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 313 in 18602020 census: 743221 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1823.

What stands out about Gratz’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Gratz are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1997. Watch Gratz change.Old housesHalf of Gratz’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsEstablished in 1805: 221 years of Gratz.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gratz’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gratz’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Gratz on the map, 1892 to 1997

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gratz. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Gratz on the 1892 USGS mapGratz on the 1947 USGS mapGratz on the 1955 USGS mapGratz on the 1969 USGS mapGratz on the 1977 USGS mapGratz on the 1997 USGS map1892Lykens 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 Gratz.

The story so far

Gratz, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Gratz yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Gratz is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 743 at the time of the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 765 in 2010. It is part of the Harrisburg metropolitan area.

Gratz was established in 1805. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 765 to 743 (-3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Gratz in 1907

Passages that mention Gratz, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Gratz, situated in Lykens townsihp, platted in 1805, by Simon Gratz. It was incorporated in April, 1852. Harrisburg, the seat of justice and now the State Capital, was originally platted by John Harris, Jr., July 6, 1785, under the following circumstances : The town proposed by Mr. Harris was laid …
History of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania1907 · page 79Read the page →
Read the text

Gratz, situated in Lykens townsihp, platted in 1805, by Simon Gratz. It was incorporated in April, 1852. Harrisburg, the seat of justice and now the State Capital, was originally platted by John Harris, Jr., July 6, 1785, under the following circumstances : The town proposed by Mr. Harris was laid out in the spring of 1785, by William Maclay, who was a son-inlaw of Mr. Harris. Mr. Maclay made a draft of the town and drew up the following conveyances from John Harris to the Com-

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Gratz Borough was platted in 1805, by Simon Gratz. It is distanced thirty miles from Harrisburg, on the Millersburg and Reading road. It was incorporated April 3, 1852. In 1838 Mrs.
History of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania1907 · page 450Read the page →
Read the text

Gratz Borough was platted in 1805, by Simon Gratz. It is distanced thirty miles from Harrisburg, on the Millersburg and Reading road. It was incorporated April 3, 1852. In 1838 Mrs.

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.

Timeline

Gratz, 1805 to 1927

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1805
    FoundingGratz is established
  3. 1823Post officeThe Gratz post office opens
  4. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1927Born hereCarl Scheib is born here
By decade

Gratz, decade by decade

Today10 recent
Simeon United Lutheran Church, Gratz, PA (2), June 20252025Simeon United Lutheran Church, Gratz, PA (2), June 20…Simeon United Lutheran Church, Gratz, PA (1), June 20252025Simeon United Lutheran Church, Gratz, PA (1), June 20…Gratz, PA water tower, June 20252025Gratz, PA water tower, June 2025Gratz, PA post office, June 20252025Gratz, PA post office, June 2025Gratz, PA post office and fire department, June 20252025Gratz, PA post office and fire department, June 2025Gratz, PA community center, June 20252025Gratz, PA community center, June 2025Gratz, PA Borough Park, June 20252025Gratz, PA Borough Park, June 2025Gratz welcome signs along PA 25 eb, June 20252025Gratz welcome signs along PA 25 eb, June 2025Former service station, Gratz, PA, June 20252025Former service station, Gratz, PA, June 2025Clothing store, Gratz, PA, June 20252025Clothing store, Gratz, PA, June 2025
People over time

Gratz, census by census

0200400600800190019502000Peak: 765

Between 313 and 765 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Gratz’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Gratz’s history

What year was Gratz founded?

In 1805, according to Wikidata. Gratz’s post office opened in 1823, and the census of 1860 counted 313 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (10), 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.