On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hollenback Township is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hollenback Township’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 Hollenback Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.4 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Hollenback Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hollenback Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1894Shickshinny 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 Hollenback Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hobbie
1853–1906
Scanlin
1893–1902
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
HobbieMoyers GroveScanlin
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hollenback Township
Everard FamilyOld Mount ZionSaint James LutheranSilver Maple
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
When several German farmers entered modern-day Hollenback Township in 1789, they faced the difficult task of converting the rugged landscape and stubborn soil into fertile farmland. By 1796, the area belonged to Nescopeck and Newport Townships. In 1825, the first store and tavern were erected.
The logging industry subsequently took off in Hollenback; in 1866, the area contained six sawmills and several gristmills. By 1870, the township had a population of 1,300. It was later reduced to seven hundred and thirty when a section of the township broke away to form Conyngham Township.
Passages that mention Hollenback Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Wilkes-Barré, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania1909 · page 119Read the page →
Read the text
Hollenback Township was settled in 1789, by a few German farmers who came from Northampton County. In 1796 the region, which was still part of Nescopeck Township, could count only ten taxables ; and these applied themselves more to lumbering than to farming. Seventy years later, the townsmen were still employed mainly in lumbering. No less than six sawmills were then in constant use. The first sawmill was built on the Shortz place by a man
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.
Timeline
Hollenback Township, 1853 to 1906
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Hollenback Township is more historic than 39% 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.
How old are the homes in Hollenback Township?
16% of Hollenback Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 Wikipedia, 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 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.
