Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Leesport’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Leesport is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Leesport’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 Leesport’s 4.6 sits above most of its state (66% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±5.1 points). Two sources give 1842.
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 Leesport’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Leesport is named for Samuel Lee, who in 1840, laid out building lots.
A post office was established in 1851. An anthracite furnace owned by the Leesport Iron Company was built in 1853. Leesport was described in 1876 as "a flourishing village", with a station of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad.
In 1957, West Leesport, a borough located directly across the Schuylkill River, was incorporated into Leesport.
Passages that mention Leesport, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, comp. by Morton L. Montgomery ..1909 · page 280Read the page →
Read the text
Lee laid out a town along the Centre Turnpike in Maiden-creek township (now Ontelaunee) a short distance east of the Schuylkill river, nine miles from Reading, and named it "Leesport." But the railroad was constructed on the western side of the river, and the station was located at the point where the public road from Leesport into Bern township crossed the railroad. This station was
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Berks county in Pennsylvania1886 · page 1032Read the page →
Read the text
Leesport is connected with the latter place by a bridge and the two places are practically one. On the west side is the station of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, also three stores, two hotels, one church and a school-house ; on the east side are a like number of similar interests and the station of the Pennsylvania Railroad, opened to the public in 1885. A furnace
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, comp. by Morton L. Montgomery ..1909 · page 305Read the page →
Read the text
Leesport Bane. — A number of enterprising business men of Leesport and vicinity org'anized a bank with a capital of $35,000, for the accommodation of the neighborhood, and named it the First National Bank of Leesport. The following directors were elected as the first board and the bank was opened for business in July, 1909 : A.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Berks county in Pennsylvania1886 · page 438Read the page →
Read the text
ship, were appointed commissioners to form a bridge company and erect a bridge across the Schuylkill, at or near Althouse's, about eleven miles above Reading (now Leesport). The bridge was erected in 1835. From that time till January, 1886, it was continued as a private toll-bridge, and then, upon proceedings of appraisement, it was taken by the county and
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.
By decade
Leesport, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
In 1842, according to Wikidata. Leesport’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1910 counted 436 people here.
How does Leesport rank for history?
Leesport is more historic than 81% 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 Leesport?
One place: the Leesport Lock House (listed 1977).
How old are the homes in Leesport?
22% of Leesport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (7), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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