Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1866.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Luzerne’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Luzerne 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 National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Luzerne’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 Luzerne’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 Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1807.
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 (±8.0 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Luzerne’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The community was first settled in 1807. Luzerne Borough was originally known as "Hartseph Hollow" (or Hartseph) in the late 18th century, named after early settler Zachariah Hartseph. The area developed rapidly around Toby Creek, where safely utilizing water power allowed early pioneers to establish essential gristmills and sawmills. Formally incorporated as a borough in 1882, the municipality changed its name to Luzerne to align with the county, which had been named in honor of the Chevalier de la Luzerne, a French minister to the United States during the Revolutionary War.
Passages that mention Luzerne, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Wilkes-Barré, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania1909 · page 158Read the page →
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Luzerne Borough — Li 1882, the village of Luzerne was detached from Kingston Township and became a borough. Its early history is to some extent told in that of Kingston Township, also to some extent in the general county review. John Mathers, in Johnson's "Historical Record," also gives a most complete narrative. He writes : "Josiah Squires built the first house ever in Luzerne, the noted log that stood on Toby Creek, a few rods from Waddell's Shaft. The first child born there was Elizabeth Bowman, July, 1807; the first preacher was Benjamin Bidlack ; the first Sunday school super-
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History of the Presbytery of Luzerne, state of Pennsylvania1897 · page 3Read the page →
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Resolved: 2nd. That all the Presbyterian churches that may hereafter be formed in the counties of Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon, and the township of Briar Creek in Columbia county, until otherwise ordered by competent authority, shall be formed under the direction of the Presbytery of Luzerne, and continue under the care of said Presbytery.
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History of the Presbytery of Luzerne, state of Pennsylvania1897 · page 27Read the page →
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The white settlers who took possession of the land in the southern part of the territory occupied by the Presbytery of Luzerne, were led thither, for the most part, by the coal trade ; few settlements had been made in the southern part of Luzerne, Carbon, and the greater part of Schuylkill counties, until the production of coal began to attract the attention of enterprising men. None of our churches antedate the coal trade on the Lehigh
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History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections1893 · page 470Read the page →
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Settlers — First Improvements — First House was Abbott's, Corner of Main and Northampton Streets — Forts — Reminiscences op the Early People and Buildings — Banks, Factories and Industries — City Improvements — Etc THE important city and the first settlement in Luzerne county is the one descriptive phrase applicable to this city. A beautiful city, queen of the Susquehanna north of Hiirrisburgto its source: a crowujewel on the east bank of the river and in the center of the far-famed Wyoming valley; the county seat of Luzerne county, the center and hub from where flows out in every direction by electric and steam rail-
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Luzerne, 1807 to 1940
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born 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.
1884Sheet 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
3 famous people were born in Luzerne
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1807, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Luzerne’s post office opened in 1866, and the census of 1890 counted 2,398 people here.
How does Luzerne rank for history?
Luzerne 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.
How old are the homes in Luzerne?
43% of Luzerne’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.0 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1950.
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 (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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2011