Indiana dates to 1805, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns · #153 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
11 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 86 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1810.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Indiana’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Indiana is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #153 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Indiana’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 Indiana’s 67.5 sits above most of its state (87% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 96 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% 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 (±4.3 points). Two sources give 1805.
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 Indiana’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
Indiana, building by building, 1887–1916
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.
In 1768, Thomas and Richard Penn, sons of William Penn, secured the southern part of what would later become Indiana County from the Iroquois Six Nations through the First Treaty of Fort Stanwix. Indiana takes its name from Indiana County, which in turn gets its name from the "Indiana grant" of the First Treaty of Fort Stanwix. Indiana was founded in 1805 to be the new county's seat from a grant of land by Founding Father George Clymer. By 1810, it had a population of 125.
Passages that mention Indiana, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania1891 · page 42Read the page →
Read the text
Pioneer Settlements. — Indiana county had been explored in 1766 and in 1769 a settlement was made at the juncture of Conemaugh river and Black Lick creek. Among the first settlers were Fergus, Samuel and Joseph Moorehead and James Kelly, who commenced improvements near the town of Indiana in 1772.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
John Wilson was one of the men who laid out the town of Indiana. The streets were plotted and marked among the trees and underbi'ush and for many years after the location was fixed there were few buildings.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Biographical and historical cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong counties, Pennsylvania1891 · page 51Read the page →
Read the text
In 1807 the following reports of county roads were confirmed : " Rogei-'s mill to Indiana, Clark's mill to Indiana, Indiana to intersect at McFarland's mill, Armstrong county line to Brady's mill ; David Fulton's to Brady's mill, and Newport to intersect with Indiana road." In 1810 the State road from Milesburg to Lebouf was surveyed through the northeast-
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
Indiana, 1805 to 1963
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 1805, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Indiana’s post office opened in 1810, and the census of 1820 counted 317 people here.
How does Indiana rank for history?
Indiana is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #153 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 Indiana?
11 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Old Indiana County Courthouse (listed 1974, the first), and 1 historic district, the Downtown Indiana Historic District, with 86 contributing buildings. 96 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Indiana?
23% of Indiana’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1957.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (11), 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.
1900
1910
1910
