Lititz dates to 1710, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 98% of U.S. towns · #69 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 113 buildings. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1816.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lititz’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lititz is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #69 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 2 inputs put Lititz near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lititz’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 Lititz’s 122 sits above most of its state (90% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 117 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1710.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 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 Lititz’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lititz was founded by members of the Moravian Church in 1756 and was named by a German form of name of the Litice Castle in Bohemia. Lititz was one of four leading Moravian communities in Pennsylvania, the other three being Bethlehem, Emmaus, and Nazareth.
For a century, only Moravians were permitted to live in Lititz. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, only members of the congregation could own houses; others were required to lease. The lease system was abolished in 1855, just five years before the beginning of the American Civil War.
During the American Revolutionary War, Brethren's House, built in 1759, was used as a hospital for Continental Army troops, and a number of Continental Army soldiers died and were buried here.
Passages that mention Lititz, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania1883Read the page →
Read the text
Lititz. — The name of this village was formerly spelled Litiz, and the correct spelling has been a matter of dispute. Some years since the jMstinaster-general ordered the change of the spelling of the postoffice from Litiz to Lititz. The settlement at Lititz began in 1754, though the village was not laid out until 1757. The plan of the village was made by Rev. Nathaniel Seidel and John Renter, and was
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania1883Read the page →
Read the text
Railroads and Thoroughfares.— The Columbia and Reading Railroad passes directly through the township from east to west, touching the villages of Lititz, Warwick, Rothville Station, and Millway on its course. The townsliip is traversed in all directions by roads and turnpikes, which are well laid out and kept in good condition, making intercourse between the different localities a nnitter of pleasure,
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
Lititz, decade by decade
5 decades in the archive, from the 1790s 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.
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.
In 1710, according to Wikidata. Lititz’s post office opened in 1816, and the census of 1880 counted 1,113 people here.
How does Lititz rank for history?
Lititz is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #69 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 Lititz?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Sturgis, Julius, Pretzel House (listed 1974, the first), and 1 historic district, the Lititz Moravian Historic District, with 113 contributing buildings. 117 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Lititz?
32% of Lititz’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 (9), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.
1887
1887
1905
1905
c. 1930
1933
1933