Manheim dates to 1762, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #24 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 787 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Manheim’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Manheim is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #24 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs put Manheim near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Manheim’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 Manheim’s 1,566 sits above most of its state (98% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 787 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
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 (±8.5 points). Two sources give 1762.
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 Manheim’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
On the map
Manheim on the map, 1902 to 1995
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Manheim. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Lancaster sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Manheim.
Every building
Manheim, building by building, 1886–1912
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.
Manheim was laid out by Henry William Stiegel in 1762 on a land tract in Rapho Township, though it was only incorporated in 1838. He set out to build an industrial empire and founded the Manheim Glassworks. After financial failure, he was forced to sell the development in 1775. After several failed attempts at resurrecting the glassworks, it closed in 1780.
The first railroad train came into Manheim on January 1, 1862, with the completion of the first division of the Columbia and Reading Railroad. In 1884, another forward step was the laying of water pipes and the beginning of service by the Manheim Electric Company, which set up a plant in Bomberger's Mill at the end of Mill Street.
Passages that mention Manheim, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania1883Read the page →
Read the text
thereafter laid out the town of Manheim. The name of the town was derived from the village of Manheim, in Badjsn, from whence Stiegel came.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania1883Read the page →
Read the text
Binkley's Bridge.— This iiamc, muv borne by a small settlement and a |Hi-,t-ollire on the ( 'onestoga, in the eastern part ol' .Manheim, had its origin in the building of a bridge over the creek at that locality by Christian Binkley. This was said to be, and undoubtedly was, the first stone bridge in the county.
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.
Timeline
Manheim, 1762 to 1992
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 1762, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1850 counted 778 people here.
How does Manheim rank for history?
Manheim is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #24 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 Manheim?
Two places: the Shearer's Covered Bridge (listed 1980) and the Manheim Borough Historic District (2000).
How old are the homes in Manheim?
33% of Manheim’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.5 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1954.
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 (5), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
