Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1806.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hummelstown’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hummelstown is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #172 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hummelstown’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 Hummelstown’s 11.0 sits above most of its state (78% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% 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 (±6.1 points). Two sources give 1762.
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 Hummelstown’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 Hummelstown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1892Hummelstown 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 Hummelstown.
Every building
Hummelstown, building by building, 1895–1911
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.
Hummelstown was founded as "Fredrickstown" in 1762 by two Germans, Frederick and Rosina Hummel. They purchased the land for 200 pounds sterling, then divided the area into building lots, which were sold to German settlers. During the mid-19th century, the Union Canal along Swatara Creek was an important factor in the development of the local economy, promoting trade and transportation.
Passages that mention Hummelstown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania1907 · page 81Read the page →
Read the text
Hummelstown, located in Hummelstown township, was platted 1762, as "Frederickstown," by Frederick Hummell, but subsequent to his death was changed to Hummelstown. It was incorporated as a borough August 26, 1874.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania1907 · page 328Read the page →
Read the text
Among the stone quarries of much value and commercial importance, within Dauphin county, is the Hummelstown brown-stone quarries, about three miles out from Hummelstown. These quarries were opened about 1867, and for about thirty years have been very extensively operated by a company owning a line of three or four miles of railroad, several locomotives and many freight cars.
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
Hummelstown, 1762 to 1981
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 1762, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hummelstown’s post office opened in 1806, and the census of 1840 counted 480 people here.
How does Hummelstown rank for history?
Hummelstown is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #172 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 Hummelstown?
4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Zion Lutheran Church and Graveyard (listed 1979, the first). 5 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Hummelstown?
17% of Hummelstown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1965.
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 (24), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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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