On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Littlestown is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #348 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Littlestown’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 Littlestown’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1765.
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 (±7.1 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 Littlestown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Littlestown yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Littlestown is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,782 at the 2020 census. Originally laid out by Peter Klein in 1760, the town was first named Petersburg. German settlers in the area came to call the town Kleine Stedtle. In 1795, as confusion between the town and a neighboring town (also named Petersburg and now named York Springs) was growing, the town changed its name to Littlestown, an English translation of the German name Kleine Stedtle.
Littlestown was established in 1765. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,434 to 4,782 (+8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Littlestown in 1886
Passages that mention Littlestown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
history of adams county pennsylvania.1886 · page 348Read the page →
Read the text
This place, located on the Littlestown Branch Railroad, is named after one of the settlers of 1735, Sellen or Sell. — It dates its existence back to 1857, when the railroad was opened through the township; but the establishment of a postoflice there belongs to a later date. A. Sell, the merchant at this point, has served in this office for a number of years, CHURCH STATION.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
history of adams county pennsylvania.1886 · page 423Read the page →
Read the text
upward of ten years, which incumbencies he still fills acceptably. He was the first burgess ever ciected in Littlestown; was a charter member of the Mount Carmel Cemetery Jompany, and its secretary and treasurer for a number of years. He drew the plans from which the large brick public schoolhouse was built in Littlestown, and when a member of the school board in the borough was appointed by that body building-director, and was building-director of the large public schoolhouse in the borough, also three schoolhouses in the township. During the war of the rebellion he and Alonzo Sanders were appointed by the township, and, after the incorporation of the borough, by the
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.
In 1765, according to Wikidata. Littlestown’s post office opened in 1795, and the census of 1850 counted 394 people here.
How does Littlestown rank for history?
Littlestown is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #348 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.
How old are the homes in Littlestown?
26% of Littlestown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1966.
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), 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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