Its Register listings are the O'Connor, J.S., American Rich Cut Glassware Factory and the Bellemonte Silk Mill. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1984 on and old-book passages.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hawley’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hawley is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hawley’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 Hawley’s 32.4 sits above most of its state (84% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±7.1 points). Two sources give 1827.
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 Hawley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The borough was named for Irad Hawley, first president of the Pennsylvania Coal Company. Early industry centered on the transportation and support of nearby coal mining operations along with manufacturing facilities. The Bellemonte Silk Mill, regarded as the largest bluestone building in the world, and J.S. O'Connor American Rich Cut Glassware Factory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Passages that mention Hawley, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Hawley, Pennsylvania ... 100th anniversary celebration ..1927 · page 124Read the page →
Read the text
When very young Mr. McAndrew secured employment with the Pennsylvania Coal Company at Hawley and remained with the company in various clerical positions until they abandoned their operations in Hawley im 1886, when he became associated with their.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Hawley, Pennsylvania ... 100th anniversary celebration ..1927 · page 41Read the page →
Read the text
All coal originating at the Pennsylvania Coal Company’s mines and brought to Hawley over their Gravity railroad was now shipped from this point to tidewater by way of the new steam railroad, which had been built by the Pennsylvania Coal Company but leased to the Erie Railroad and maintained by them as part of their system. This necessitated the building of large coal pockets at Hawley, from a point just east of Marble Hill bridge to almost where the coal pockets now stand for coaling engines, the rearrang-
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
Hawley, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. 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.
In 1827, according to Wikidata. Hawley’s post office opened in 1849.
How does Hawley rank for history?
Hawley is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns. 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 Hawley?
Two places: the O'Connor, J.S., American Rich Cut Glassware Factory (listed 2005) and the Bellemonte Silk Mill (2010).
How old are the homes in Hawley?
61% of Hawley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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