Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hatboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hatboro is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #120 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hatboro’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 Hatboro’s 12.1 sits above most of its state (79% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1715.
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 (±6.6 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 Hatboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town of Hatboro is located on land purchased from William Penn by the family of Nicholas More around 1705. The first land titles in town were issued in 1711. Original construction by early residents of the town occurred between 1715 and 1719. Early settlement pre-dating the Hatboro name occurred in the Crooked Billet area east of York Road, between Moreland Avenue and Byberry Road.
Early resident John Dawson entertained guests at the Crooked Billet Inn as well as manufacturing a line of hats. When the post office opened in 1809 the town was officially called Hatborough. U.S. Postmaster General John Wanamaker officially changed the name of the town in 1889 to Hatboro.
Passages that mention Hatboro, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1884 · page 661Read the page →
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tal. From New York he moved to Lansdale, Pa., where he remained for two and a half years in the practice of his profession, and in 1876 located in the town of Hatboro', Pa., where he soon acquired a large and lucrative practice, which, through his skill in the science of medicine, he retained until 1884, when he transferred a large portion of his practice to his son, and now (1885) occupies his time in the conduct of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1884 · page 877Read the page →
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road from Groeme Park by way of Horsham Meetinghouse to the York road, at Willow Grove, was opened in 1722, and also the same year from the former place down the county line, to Hatboro'. As these were laid out from Governor Keith's settlement, the former was long known as the " Governor's road." The road from the present Spring House to Horsham Meeting-house was laid out and confirmed in 1723.
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Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1923 · page 167Read the page →
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Public Spirit is published semi-weekly at the village of Hatboro, and was established in 1873 by Dr. W. T. Robinson. It has never been out of the family and is to-day conducted by the Robinson Publishing Company, comprising O. E. C. Robinson and Penrose Robinson. It is a sevencolumn to the page publication, having from twelve to sixteen pages weekly, issued on Thursdays and Fridays. The equipment consists oi duplex newspaper press (web), two cylinder presses, three jobbers, three linotypes, bindery, and fully equipped for newspaper and periodical work.
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Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1923 · page 363Read the page →
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The Union Library is one of the first nine libraries established in the original thirteen Colonies. It dates back to 1755, and has been conducted ever since. Each succeeding generation has added to its historic interest. At that date the village of Hatboro could not have had to exceed a dozen houses all told. There were enough in the community who saw the usefulness of a library, and when counted up on the list of charter membership it was seen there were thirty-five who had signed and agreed to support such an enterprise. It was styled the "Instrument of Part-
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.
By decade
Hatboro, decade by decade
4 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
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.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1715, according to Wikidata. Hatboro’s post office opened in 1802, and the census of 1880 counted 586 people here.
How does Hatboro rank for history?
Hatboro is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #120 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 Hatboro?
4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Loller Academy (listed 1978, the first). 10 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Hatboro?
24% of Hatboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1957.
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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
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