Marple Township’s post office opened in 1849, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns · #669 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of Marple Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1962. Its Register listing is the Thomas Massey House. Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 1930.
The Marple Township post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Marple (1849), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,553 in 19302020 census: 24,214177 years
How historic is Marple Township?
B
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Marple Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Marple Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Marple Township is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #669 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Marple Township’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 Marple Township’s 0.4 sits near the middle of its state (51% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Marple Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Marple, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Marple
1849–1903
Broomall
1870–today
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bridlebrook EstatesBrookthorpe HillsBroomallErin RoseFoxcroftLawrence ParkMarpleMarplewood VillaMarplewoodsPaxon ChaseWoods at Langford
Gone or out of use
MAB AirportairportPalmers Milllocale
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Marple Township
GlenwoodMarple HillSaints Peter and PaulSpringfield
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Marple Township on the map, 1894 to 1994
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Marple Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1894Chester 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 Marple Township.
The Delaware County area was first settled by Quakers who came to Pennsylvania by the Delaware River on September 29, 1683. The ship they used was called the Endeavor. Marple Township was originally settled in 1684 and was recognized as a township in the same year. The original spelling of the township was Marpool, but the spelling was changed to Marple in the Thomas Holme map of 1687. The Marpool spelling may have been an error.
The Marple Township post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Marple Township rank for history?
Marple Township is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #669 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 Marple Township?
One place: the Thomas Massey House (listed 1970).
How old are the homes in Marple Township?
5% of Marple Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
