Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
New Britain Township dates to 1715, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #470 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of New Britain Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Its Register listings are the Morgan James Homestead and the Pine Valley Covered Bridge. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1809.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives New Britain Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Britain Township is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #470 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 New Britain 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 New Britain Township’s 1.6 sits near the middle of its state (55% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1715.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size.
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 New Britain Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of New Britain Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1890Doylestown 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 New Britain Township.
Eugene James built an estate about 1731 and included the Mathews homestead, a fine Colonial house built in 1744 upon the site of an earlier house destroyed by fire. The village of James Manor was begun on the estate by Wynne James. Nearby villages were Jamestown, New Britain and Vauxtown. The National Farm School, now the Delaware Valley University was built near James Manor.
The Sign of the Horses and Wagon was a tavern in the west end of the village, where Lafayette headquartered at the time. The Continental Army marched from Valley Forge to Monmouth, New Jersey.
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.
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 1715, according to Wikidata. New Britain Township’s post office opened in 1809, and the census of 1880 counted 119 people here.
How does New Britain Township rank for history?
New Britain Township is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #470 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 New Britain Township?
Two places: the Morgan James Homestead (listed 1977) and the Pine Valley Covered Bridge (1980).
How old are the homes in New Britain Township?
5% of New Britain Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1981.
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), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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.
Date?
2025
2025
2025
2025
