Ligonier dates to 1760, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 419 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1900 on and old-book passages.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1815.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ligonier’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ligonier is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs put Ligonier near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ligonier’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 Ligonier’s 2,764 sits above most of its state (100% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 424 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1760.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.4 points).
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 Ligonier’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1758, when British forces launched a major campaign to remove French forces from the forks of the Ohio, now Pittsburgh, this spot on Loyalhanna Creek was the site of their westernmost camp before reaching the Ohio. The British maintained a large army, a virtual moving city of 6,000 people, that temporarily made Ligonier the second-most populated spot in Pennsylvania, second only to Philadelphia. Fort Ligonier was named after John Ligonier, a British noble of French origin who held the rank of Field Marshal in the British Army. Eventually, the name of the settlement that grew up around the fort was shortened to Ligonier.
Passages that mention Ligonier, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania1906Read the page →
Read the text
Ohio, two years at Thiel College, Mercer county. Pennsylvania, and a full term at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1877. In the same year he was ordained a minister of the gospel by the Pittsburg Synod. His first call was from the Ligonier parish, of which he became pastor in March, 1877. The parish then consisted of four churches which were located at Ligonier, Youngstown. Latrobe and Derry.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania1906Read the page →
Read the text
ities of the coal business ; and he was also one of the first to advocate the buying of real estate, laying out into lots and selling on very liberal terms to people of small means desirous of owning their own homes. Several prominent citizens of Ligonier interested in procuring a branch to connect with the main line of the Pennsylvania railroad, offered Judge Mellon, in 1877, strong inducements to assist them in its construction. This was finally agreed to and he contracted with these gentlemen to build the Ligonier Valley railroad, and jointly with his sons made such rapid progress that in a very short time trains were running to
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
Ligonier, decade by decade
3 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 1760, according to Wikidata. Ligonier’s post office opened in 1815.
How does Ligonier rank for history?
Ligonier is among the most historic 1% 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 Ligonier?
Three places: the Fort Ligonier Site (listed 1975), the Ligonier Armory (1991) and the Ligonier Historic District (1994).
How old are the homes in Ligonier?
47% of Ligonier’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1948.
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, 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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