Lansdale’s post office opened in 1860, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 67% of U.S. towns · #517 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Jenkins Homestead, the Lansdale Silk Hosiery Company-Interstate Hosiery Mills, Inc. and the Philadelphia & Reading Railway: Lansdale Passenger Station. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Lansdale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1872.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lansdale’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lansdale is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #517 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lansdale’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 Lansdale’s 2.1 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% 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 (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1872 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Lansdale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1886Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Famous people
14 famous people were born in Lansdale
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The earliest known settlers in Lansdale were members of the Jenkins family. At the peak of its growth, the Jenkins homestead occupied approximately 120 acres of land. The construction of the North Pennsylvania Railroad (later absorbed into the Reading Railroad) during the 1850s contributed to rapid growth and expansion in Lansdale. Employment opportunities generated by the railroad brought settlers, housing, and local businesses to the area.
Passages that mention Lansdale, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1923 · page 367Read the page →
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Lansdale received its name in memory of the chief surveyor of the North Penn Railroad Company, his full name being Philip Lansdale Fox. The record book of Time has a few unique entries concerning Lansdale — these for example: "Born August 24, 1872; father's name North Penn Railroad; mother's name Heebner Agricultural Machinery Plant."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1884 · page 620Read the page →
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ufacturing establishment of Heebner & Sons, of which he is the business manager, he finds time to take an active part in the progressive enterprises of the beautiful town of Lansdale, in which Heebner & Sons' shops are located. He was one of the originators of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Lansdale, and aissisted in building the church edifice, the first in the town. He is a trustee and organist of the
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History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1884 · page 746Read the page →
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first and foremost in any and all improvements tending to advance the interests of the community in which he has dwelt. He was one of the originators and one of the board of directors of the Lansdale Water-Works, which is a lasting monument to its projectors. When there was a prospect for building I up the town of Lansdale he became one of the pro- I jectors of and president of two building associations.
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Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1923 · page 304Read the page →
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These were the old-time villages, but have mostly become defunct, with the building of the railroad through the township, from Lansdale in the southeastern corner to the northwest corner, with the borough of Hatfield en route, and which place has come to be a good sized mart. Orville Station, Orville, Unionville and Trewgtown, are simply hamlets, with a few business interests. The borough of Hatfield now has thirty-three business houses. (See chapter relating to Boroughs of the county.)
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
Lansdale, 1860 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.
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 Lansdale post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1872.
How does Lansdale rank for history?
Lansdale is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #517 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 Lansdale?
Three places: the Jenkins Homestead (listed 1977), the Lansdale Silk Hosiery Company-Interstate Hosiery Mills, Inc. (2004) and the Philadelphia & Reading Railway: Lansdale Passenger Station (2021).
How old are the homes in Lansdale?
26% of Lansdale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1958.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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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