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History · Hartleton

Hartleton dates to 1773, and 71% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1870.

1773founded
0on the National Register
71%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Gerry Dincher · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Hartleton began

When was Hartleton founded?

1773

Hartleton dates its founding to 1773 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 292 in 18702020 census: 251253 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1914.

What stands out about Hartleton’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 Hartleton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hartleton’s homes were built before 1938.Older than the countryEstablished in 1773, 3 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hartleton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hartleton’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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The story so far

Hartleton, in brief

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

Hartleton is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 247 at the 2020 census. The borough, as well as the adjoining township of Hartley, are both named for Colonel Thomas Hartley, American politician and Revolutionary War leader, and local landowner. An alternative name was Hartleyton and later shortened to the present name. The original name was Kester's (akin to Keister today), and named for Peter Kester who was the first tenant of Hartley. Kester's was on the "great Reuben Haines road" from Northumberland through Dry Valley, New Berlin and the Penns Valley Narrows, and the first public road laid out in the area by Northumberland County court. The road fr…

Hartleton was established in 1773. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 283 to 251 (-11%).

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

Timeline

Hartleton, 1773 to 1943

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1773
    FoundingHartleton is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1914Post officeThe Hartleton post office opens
  5. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Hartleton, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Hartleton community center2011Hartleton community centerHartleton Main Street2011Hartleton Main StreetHartleton Cemetery2011Hartleton CemeteryGremlin side2011Gremlin sideGremlin rear2011Gremlin rearGremlin gremlin2011Gremlin gremlin
On the map

Hartleton on the map, 1943 to 1973

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

Hartleton on the 1943 USGS mapHartleton on the 1953 USGS mapHartleton on the 1965 USGS mapHartleton on the 1973 USGS map1943Mifflinburg 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 Hartleton.

People over time

Hartleton, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 300

Between 160 and 300 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Hartleton

Nobody well known was born in Hartleton itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Tasker H. Bliss8th Chief of Staff of the United States Army · b. 1853
John ShafferAmerican politician · b. 1827
Amos SmithAmerican chemist · b. 1944
Charles Marley AndersonAmerican politician · b. 1845
Robert Edward DifenderferAmerican politician · b. 1849
James BlackAmerican prohibition activist · b. 1823
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Hartley Township2 historic placesALewis TownshipIts storyB−

Questions about Hartleton’s history

What year was Hartleton founded?

In 1773, according to Wikidata. Hartleton’s post office opened in 1914, and the census of 1870 counted 292 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 (6), 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.