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AHistory
History · Haverford Township

Haverford Township’s post office opened in 1830, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns · #149 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

8 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Merion Golf Club, East and West Courses, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 2 buildings. Below: 17 old photos and papers and maps from 1894 on.

1830first post office
8on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
17old photos & papers
12famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Haverford Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Haverford Township began

When was Haverford Township founded?

1830

The Haverford Township post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name. Six smaller post offices, Haverford (1830), Coreze (1881) and Manoa (1882), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 50,431196 years

How historic is Haverford Township?

A

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Haverford Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Haverford Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Haverford Township is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #149 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Haverford Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1830, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194031.9% of homes (±2.7) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register8 listings, 33 historic buildings, 6.5 per 10,000 residents · typical PA town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 92%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 86%

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 Haverford Township’s 6.5 sits above most of its state (71% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 33 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Haverford Township’s past

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

Lost villages6 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Haverford Township, and 19 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 18946 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1994. Watch Haverford Township change.A National Historic Landmark8 places on the National Register, including Merion Golf Club, East and West Courses, a National Historic Landmark.A town in old photos17 old photos, postcards and papers, 1878–1978.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Haverford
1830–1882
Coreze
1881–1895
Manoa
1882–1915
Adele
1892–1901
Llanerch
1897–1918
Grassland
1898–1900
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AdeleAllgatesArdmore ParkBon AirBrooklineBryn Mawr PlaceCoopertownCorezeGrasslandHaverford VillageHavertownHaverwoodLlanerchManoaOakmontPenfieldPilgrim GardensRichlandWest Gate Hills
Gone or out of use
Haverford Post Officepost officeHaverford Post Officepost office
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Haverford Township
BethesdaHaverford New MeetingOld Haverford Friends Meeting HouseSaint DenisSaint George's Episcopal Church Memorial Gardens

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

On the map

Haverford Township on the map, 1894 to 1994

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

Haverford Township on the 1894 USGS mapHaverford Township on the 1942 USGS mapHaverford Township on the 1956 USGS mapHaverford Township on the 1967 USGS mapHaverford Township on the 1973 USGS mapHaverford Township on the 1994 USGS map1894Chester 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 Haverford Township.

On the National Register

8 listings protect 33 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
8
National Historic Landmark
1
Merion Golf Club, East and West Courses
historic buildings protected
33
each building in a district counts
first listed
1970
Nitre Hall
Nitre HallFederal SchoolPont ReadingGrange, TheAllgates, built 1731Llanerch Public School, built 1913Miller-Leedom-Dickinson HouseMerion Golf Club, East and West Courses, built 1896★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Federal3
Colonial Revival1
Vernacular1
Queen Anne1
Georgian1
Victorian Gothic1
★ Landmark
Merion Golf Club, East and West CoursesColonial Revival · Built 1896
Nitre HallFederal
Federal SchoolBuilding
Pont ReadingQueen Anne
Grange, TheGeorgian
AllgatesFederal · Built 1731
Llanerch Public SchoolBuilt 1913
All 8 listings
Miller-Leedom-Dickinson HouseBuilding · listed 2026

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

The story so far

Haverford Township, in brief

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

Haverford is an unincorporated community located in both Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, and Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) opened Haverford Station in 1880 on their Main Line west out of Broad Street Station (now Suburban Station) in Philadelphia. Haverford sits at milepost 9.17. Haverford borders the unincorporated portion of Haverford Township called Havertown, as well as the unincorporated communities of Bryn Mawr, Gladwyne, Ardmore, Wynnewood, and a small portion of Broomall. The Haverford neighborhood name was borrowed from the older entity, Haverford T…

Its first post office opened in 1830. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 48,491 to 50,431 (+4%).

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

Timeline

Haverford Township, 1714 to 1937

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1714Born hereCharles Humphreys is born here
  3. 1731BuiltAllgates is built
  4. 19th century
  5. 1830Post officeThe Haverford post office opens
  6. 1878In the archiveMill creek john c browne
  7. 1881Post officeThe Coreze post office opens
  8. 1882Post officeThe Haverford post office closes
  9. 1882Post officeThe Manoa post office opens
  10. 1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1895Post officeThe Coreze post office closes
  12. 1896BuiltMerion Golf Club, East and West Courses is built
  13. 1897Born hereCatherine Drinker Bowen is born here
  14. 20th century
  15. 1909In the archiveFounders Hall, Entrance and Stairway
  16. 1913BuiltLlanerch Public School is built
  17. 1914In the archiveS. Lewis Ziegler house
  18. 1915Post officeThe Manoa post office closes
  19. 1925In the archiveS. Lewis Ziegler house
  20. 1930Born hereTheodore Freeman is born here
  21. 1937In the archiveHaverford, Pennsylvania. A rock crushing plant
By decade

Haverford Township, decade by decade

7 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s–1910s11 items
Mill creek john c browne1878Mill creek john c browneFounders Hall, Entrance and Stairway1909Founders Hall, Entrance and StairwayS. Lewis Ziegler house1914S. Lewis Ziegler houseS. Lewis Ziegler house1915S. Lewis Ziegler houseS. Lewis Ziegler house1915S. Lewis Ziegler houseS. Lewis Ziegler house1915S. Lewis Ziegler houseAllgater, the home of the Horatio Gates Lloyd family, formal gardens1918Allgater, the home of the Horatio Gates Lloyd family,…Allgater, the home of the Horatio Gates Lloyd family, exterior view1918Allgater, the home of the Horatio Gates Lloyd family,…Allgater, the home of the Horatio Gates Lloyd family, side entrance to home1918Allgater, the home of the Horatio Gates Lloyd family,…"Allgates," Horatio Gates Lloyd house, Cooperstown Road1919"Allgates," Horatio Gates Lloyd house, Cooperstown Ro…"Allgates," Horatio Gates Lloyd house, Cooperstown Road1919"Allgates," Horatio Gates Lloyd house, Cooperstown Ro…
1920s–1970s6 items
S. Lewis Ziegler house1925S. Lewis Ziegler houseHaverford, Pennsylvania. A rock crushing plant1937Haverford, Pennsylvania. A rock crushing plantPennsylvania Railroad Haverford and Ardmore PA Time Table 19661966Pennsylvania Railroad Haverford and Ardmore PA Time T…ACME Market1977ACME MarketACME Market1977ACME MarketCobble Court 19781978Cobble Court 1978
1980s–1990snothing 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
Today16 recent
Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (6)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (6)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (5)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (5)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (4)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (4)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (3)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (3)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (2)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (2)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (15)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (15)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (14)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (14)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (13)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (13)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (12)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (12)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (11)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (11)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (10)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (10)Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (1)2012Haverford, PA, USA - panoramio (1)Small bridge on Newtown Square2011Small bridge on Newtown SquareWhitehall PA apartments NRHP2010Whitehall PA apartments NRHPSepta 20082008Septa 2008Haverford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania2007Haverford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
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.

Mill creek john c browne
Retake this viewMill creek john c browne, 1878

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

12 famous people were born in Haverford Township

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

See all →
Theodore FreemanAmerican astronaut · b. 1930
B
Benjamin KanesAmerican actor · b. 1977
Catherine Drinker BowenAmerican writer · b. 1897
C
Charles HumphreysAmerican politician · b. 1714
Josiah Bunting IIIUS Army officer · b. 1939
I
Isaac BriggsAmerican engineer · b. 1763
Help out

Finish Haverford Township’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
6 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMill creek john c browne: 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.

Marple Township1 historic placeBBroomall1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLower Merion Township19 historic placesA+Radnor Township12 historic placesA+Penn WynneIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townUpper Darby Township3 historic placesADrexel Hill2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBryn Mawr4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSpringfield TownshipIts storyB

Questions about Haverford Township’s history

What year was Haverford Township founded?

The Haverford Township post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Haverford Township rank for history?

Haverford Township is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #149 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 Haverford Township?

8 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Nitre Hall (listed 1970, the first), and 1 historic district, the Merion Golf Club, East and West Courses, with 2 contributing buildings. 33 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Haverford Township?

32% of Haverford Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1950.

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 (21), the Library of Congress (12), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.