Lancaster dates to 1730, and 54% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #3 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
57 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Fulton Opera House, a National Historic Landmark, and ten historic districts with 14,077 buildings between them. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1790.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lancaster is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #3 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs put Lancaster near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lancaster’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 Lancaster’s 2,449 sits above most of its state (99% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 14,135 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1730.
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 Lancaster’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
Originally called Hickory Town, Lancaster was renamed after the English city of Lancaster by native John Wright. Its symbol, the red rose, is from the House of Lancaster. Lancaster was part of the 1681 Penn's Woods Charter of William Penn, and was laid out by James Hamilton in 1734. It was incorporated as a borough in 1742 and incorporated as a city in 1818.
In the summer of 1744 the Lancaster courthouse was the venue for an important colonial treaty between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Provinces of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Conrad Weiser served as interpreter, and the text of the treaty was soon after published by Benjamin Franklin.
the said court house except to use it as a court house and for no other purpose — "Therefore be it resolved by the Select and Common Councils of the city of Lancaster that the Mayor and presidents of councils be and they are hereby instructed to attend said sale and give public notice that the councils of the city of Lancaster in behalf of the people of said city and county of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
authorised and required to allow the corporation of the [City] of Lancaster to change the location of the Philadelphia and Columbia railroad, between the Httle and big Conestoga bridges, so that the same shall pass through the City of Lancaster, at or near the intersection of North Queen and Chestnut Streets, and to grade and form the same for a double track of railway, for the performance of which
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Lancaster and York Counties1845 · page 296Read the page →
Read the text
people of the county to call meetings to devise measures to obviate the sufferings of the destitute. " In pursuance of a resolution passed at a large and respectable meeting of the freemen of Lancaster county, in the town of Lancaster, it was stated that a number, of the settlers had severely suffered, both from the hardships of a new settlement and the hostilities of the Indians — and Note. — Gen. H. Miller was born near Lancaster city Feb. 13,
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History of Lancaster and York Counties1845 · page 457Read the page →
Read the text
early as 1717 or 1719. They were the first after the Mennonites and Qualvers, to erect houses for religious worship. We could not obtain the names of their first ministers, except those who labored principally in the city of Lancaster. In 1744, the Episcopalians held a meeting at Lancaster, for the organization of a parish. The Rev. Richard Locke, an itinerant missionary, was the first ofiiciating minister. The following is the order in which others succeeded him : 1751, Rev. Geo. Craig ;
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
Lancaster, 1730 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lancaster. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Lancaster 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 Lancaster.
Every building
Lancaster, building by building, 1888–1912
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.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Conestoga GardensHilltop AcresSunnyside
Gone or out of use
Benners Quarrymine
18cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lancaster
Bethel African Methodist EpiscopalCedar LawnEnglish PresbyterianFirst Presbyterian Church Memorial GardensFirst Reformed Church Memorial GardenGreenwoodLancasterRiverviewRudisill FamilySaint JamesSaint Johns Episcopal Church ColumbariumSaint Joseph Roman Catholic OldSaint Lukes United Church of Christ Memorial GardensSaint Mary'sShreiner'sTrinity Lutheran ChurchyardWoodward HillZion Lutheran
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Help out
Finish Lancaster’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
In 1730, according to Wikidata. the first U.S. census counted 3,762 people here in 1790.
How does Lancaster rank for history?
Lancaster is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #3 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 Lancaster?
57 listings: 46 buildings, among them the Fulton Opera House (a National Historic Landmark since 1969), 10 historic districts with 14,077 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 14,135 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Lancaster?
54% of Lancaster’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 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 (10), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (57), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
★ Landmark
![authorised and required to allow the corporation of the [City] of Lancaster to change the location of the Philadelphia and Columbia railroad, between the Httle and big Conestoga bridges, so that the same shall pass through the City of Lancaster, at or near the intersection of North Queen and Chestn…](https://images.townratings.com/story/15533/bk-2a703b0caf651fd2-l.jpg)
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