4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 252 buildings. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1944 on, and the census since 1880.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Langhorne is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Langhorne’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 Langhorne’s 1,539 sits above most of its state (98% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 255 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 B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.1 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 Langhorne’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Langhorne, the town that includes Langhorne Borough, began in the 17th century at the intersection of older Lenni-Lenape paths. The earliest established settlers (three Dutch and two British) arrived in the early 18th century. One of the area's first notable residents was Joseph Richardson, who established a store and inn in the 1730s. The road from Bristol grew into a very important transportation center between Trenton and Philadelphia in the later 18th century and 19th centuries, with trade and travelers contributing to the economic growth of the area. Langhorne eventually became the stagecoach transportation hub of Bucks County, transporting people between Trenton and Philadelphia and was then known as Four Lanes End, later known as Richardsons Corner.
Passages that mention Langhorne, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time1905 · page 21Read the page →
Read the text
the last twenty-five years. In 1886 he organized and developed the Langhorne Improvement Company, purchasing for it the 620 acres of land upon which the present borough of Langhorne Manor is built. In 1887 he built the Langhorne water works, which now supply water to the three boroughs of Langhorne,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time1905 · page 287Read the page →
Read the text
farming in Middletown township, which vocation he followed successfully for sixteen years. In 18.76 he engaged in the coal and lumber business at Langhorne station, which he conducted for twentyone years, building up a fine and profitable business. He sold out the business in 1887, and has since lived retired.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Bucks County, Pennsylvania1876 · page 730Read the page →
Read the text
was agitated, in 1723, in the petition presented to the assembly, it is stated that Newtown was about the centre of the inhabitants of the county. The 24th of March, 1724, an act was passed authorizing Jeremiah Langhorne and others to purchase a piece of land at some convenient place in Newtown township, in trust for the use of the county, and to build thereon a court-house and prison, at an expense not to exceed three hundred pounds. They purchased about five acres where the village of Newtown stands, on which the public
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
Langhorne, 1780 to 1980
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.
The Langhorne post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Langhorne rank for history?
Langhorne is more historic than 90% 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.
What is on the National Register in Langhorne?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Tomlinson-Huddleston House (listed 1983, the first), and 1 historic district, the Langhorne Historic District, with 252 contributing buildings. 255 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Langhorne?
66% of Langhorne’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.1 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 (12), 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 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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