Honesdale dates to 1826, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #88 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 289 buildings. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1830.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1828.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Honesdale’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Honesdale is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #88 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Honesdale’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 Honesdale’s 647 sits above most of its state (95% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 289 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% 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 (±7.9 points). Two sources give 1826.
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 Honesdale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Honesdale, building by building, 1885–1920
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.
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.
The discovery of anthracite coal in northeastern Pennsylvania in the early 1800s and the need to transport this fuel to New York City led to the creation of the Delaware and Hudson Canal and the development of the Borough of Honesdale. The area, originally called Dyberry Forks for the confluence of the East and West branches of the Dyberry Creek, was laid out as a village in 1826 when the Delaware and Hudson (D&H) Canal was created. The borough was named for Philip Hone, former mayor of New York City and president of Honesdale's D&H Canal Company. Honesdale was incorporated as a borough on January 28, 1831.
The Honesdale Residential Historic District and the D&H Canal are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Passages that mention Honesdale, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the township of Mount Pleasant, Wayne County, Pennsylvania1856Read the page →
Read the text
present name as follows : At an early period, a Mr. Dye began improvements on this stream, a little above the present village of Honesdale. He felled some of the timber and girdled some. In this state he left it, and did not return. In a few years it was covered with bushes, which bore a bountiful supply of luxuriant berries. This was called Dye’s berry-field — or Dye’s berries. Hence,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the township of Mount Pleasant, Wayne County, Pennsylvania1856Read the page →
Read the text
had become owner of a large tract of land, about three miles south of Bethany, where the canal of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company terminates ; and on this spot the borough of Honesdale is now located. The first settlement was begun in 1826. The first house was erected by Mr. Torrey, at the forks of the Dyberry and West branch of the Lackawaxen, and was afterwards converted into a Church, and desig-
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
Honesdale, 1826 to 1946
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1826, according to Wikidata. Honesdale’s post office opened in 1828, and the census of 1830 counted 433 people here.
How does Honesdale rank for history?
Honesdale is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #88 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 Honesdale?
One place: the Honesdale Residential Historic District (listed 1998).
How old are the homes in Honesdale?
35% of Honesdale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1952.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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c. 1930
c. 1930
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