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B+History
History · Hatfield Township

Hatfield Township dates to 1832, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #483 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Most of Hatfield Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 44 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1900.

1832founded
3on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hatfield Township began

When was Hatfield Township founded?

1832

Hatfield Township dates its founding to 1832 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 528 in 19002020 census: 18,640194 years

How historic is Hatfield Township?

B+

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1871.
History grade

What drives Hatfield Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hatfield Township is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #483 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hatfield Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1832, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19403.6% of homes (±1.6) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register3 listings, 44 historic buildings, 23.2 per 10,000 residents · typical PA town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 70%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 53%

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 Hatfield Township’s 23.2 sits above most of its state (83% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 44 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1832.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size.

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 Hatfield Township’s past

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

Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Hatfield Township, and 18 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Hatfield Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18887 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1995. Watch Hatfield Township change.A historic districtThe Oak Park Historic District takes in 33 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Orvilla, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Colmar
1871–today
Orvilla
1890–1893
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bramble GateCobblestone EastColmarCowpath VillageCross GateFortunaHilpertLexington FarmsLexington LeasOak Grove Trailer ParkOak Wood EastOrvillaPelham GreenPennfield ManorTrewigtownVillage Scene Trailer ParkWynmere HuntYorkshire Commons
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hatfield Township
Clemens Memorial ParkFricksHatfieldHatfield Church of the BrethrenOrvillaPlains Mennonite

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Hatfield Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Hatfield Township on the map, 1888 to 1995

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

Hatfield Township on the 1888 USGS mapHatfield Township on the 1890 USGS mapHatfield Township on the 1943 USGS mapHatfield Township on the 1953 USGS mapHatfield Township on the 1960 USGS mapHatfield Township on the 1973 USGS mapHatfield Township on the 1995 USGS map1888Quakertown 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 Hatfield Township.

The story so far

Hatfield Township, in brief

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

Hatfield is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Hatfield had a population of 3,496. It is part of the North Penn Valley region that is centered around the borough of Lansdale. The borough is surrounded by Hatfield Township .

Hatfield Township was established in 1832. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 17,249 to 18,640 (+8%).

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

Timeline

Hatfield Township, 1832 to 1893

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1832
    FoundingHatfield Township is established
  3. 1871Post officeThe Colmar post office opens
  4. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1890Post officeThe Orvilla post office opens
  6. 1893Post officeThe Orvilla post office closes
By decade

Hatfield Township, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Hatfield Borough, PA municipal building, Dec. 20252025Hatfield Borough, PA municipal building, Dec. 2025Untitled photo2023Untitled photo7-3-2019 New Warehouse in Hatfield Township20197-3-2019 New Warehouse in Hatfield TownshipHatfield Montgomery County2017Hatfield Montgomery CountyLiberty Bell Trail Sign2016Liberty Bell Trail SignHATFIELD BOROUGH SUBSTATION, LOCK UP AND FIREHOUSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA2016HATFIELD BOROUGH SUBSTATION, LOCK UP AND FIREHOUSE, M…HATFIELD BORO SUBSTATION, LOCK UP & FIREHOUSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY2016HATFIELD BORO SUBSTATION, LOCK UP & FIREHOUSE, MONTGO…Hatfield Station Hatfield, Montco, Pennsylvania2013Hatfield Station Hatfield, Montco, PennsylvaniaHatfield Borough Building2012Hatfield Borough Building
On the National Register

3 listings protect 44 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
44
each building in a district counts
first listed
1988
Bridge in Hatfield Township
Bridge in Hatfield TownshipOak Park Historic DistrictWalter and Gertrude May Stewart Farmstead
DistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals1
Colonial Revival1
Mission Revival1
Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements1
Prairie School1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Bridge in Hatfield TownshipStructure
Oak Park Historic DistrictLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals
All 3 listings
Walter and Gertrude May Stewart FarmsteadDistrict · listed 2015

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

People over time

Hatfield Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,50019001920194019601980200020203,496

Grew from 528 people in 1900 to 3,496 in 2020, 6 times over.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Lansdale3 historic placesB+Montgomery Township2 historic placesBMontgomeryville1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTowamencin Township1 historic placeBFranconia Township2 historic placesBHilltown Township3 historic placesA−New Britain Township2 historic placesB+

Questions about Hatfield Township’s history

What year was Hatfield Township founded?

In 1832, according to Wikidata. Hatfield Township’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1900 counted 528 people here.

How does Hatfield Township rank for history?

Hatfield Township is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #483 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 Hatfield Township?

Three places: the Bridge in Hatfield Township (listed 1988), the Oak Park Historic District (1998) and the Walter and Gertrude May Stewart Farmstead (2015).

How old are the homes in Hatfield Township?

4% of Hatfield Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1979.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (9), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.