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History · Modena

Modena dates to 1739, and 51% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1880.

1739founded
0on the National Register
51%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Modena’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Modena began

When was Modena founded?

1739

Modena dates its founding to 1739 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 126 in 18802020 census: 541287 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1873.

What stands out about Modena’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Modena’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 867 in 1970; 541 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19047 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1992. Watch Modena change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Modena’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Modena’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewWest Branch Brandywine Creek; Glenhall,…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Modena, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Modena yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Modena is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 544 at the 2020 census. It was originally called Modeville, after the local Mode family.

Modena was established in 1739. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 535 in 2010, 541 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

People over time

Modena, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 867

Peaked at 867 in 1970; 541 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Modena’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Modena, 1739 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1739
    FoundingModena is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1873Post officeThe Modena post office opens
  5. 1890Born hereHugh L. Lamb is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1970In the archiveWest Branch Brandywine Creek; Glenhall, Northbrook, Wawaset vicinity
  9. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 867
By decade

Modena, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s1 item
West Branch Brandywine Creek; Glenhall, Northbrook, Wawaset vicinity1970West Branch Brandywine Creek; Glenhall, Northbrook, W…
1980s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today7 recent
Modena, PA municipal building (3), Dec. 20232023Modena, PA municipal building (3), Dec. 2023Modena, PA municipal building (2), Dec. 20232023Modena, PA municipal building (2), Dec. 2023Modena, PA municipal building (1), Dec. 20232023Modena, PA municipal building (1), Dec. 2023Modena PA house2015Modena PA houseModena PA garage2015Modena PA garageModena PA Sealed Air plant2015Modena PA Sealed Air plantBrandywine Row Houses2010Brandywine Row Houses
On the map

Modena on the map, 1904 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Modena. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Modena on the 1904 USGS mapModena on the 1918 USGS mapModena on the 1943 USGS mapModena on the 1953 USGS mapModena on the 1968 USGS mapModena on the 1973 USGS mapModena on the 1992 USGS map1904Coatesville 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 Modena.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

West Branch Brandywine Creek; Glenhall, Northbrook, Wawaset vicinity
Retake this viewWest Branch Brandywine Creek; Glenhall, Northbrook, Wawaset vicinity, 1970

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Modena’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

East Fallowfield Township31 historic placesA−South CoatesvilleIts storyC

Questions about Modena’s history

What year was Modena founded?

In 1739, according to Wikidata. Modena’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1880 counted 126 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (8), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.