2 of Palmer Township’s places are on the National Register
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns · #803 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of Palmer Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 1920.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Palmer Township is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #803 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Palmer 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 Palmer Township’s 1.8 sits near the middle of its state (56% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
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 (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Palmer 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 Palmer Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1894Allentown 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 Palmer Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Seips, opened and closed inside today’s town.
The first known inhabitants of the area now known as Palmer Township were the Lenape Native Americans in the 17th century. German Moravian settlers built on land in the Palmer area in 1740. At the time, the area was part of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which by the mid-18th century also included land now called Northampton County and Lehigh County.
Northampton County separated from Bucks County on March 11, 1752. In 1754, Forks Township, which then also consisted of what is now Palmer Township, was incorporated in 1754 with a total population of about 50 inhabitants.
Palmer Township is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #803 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 Palmer Township?
Two places: the Seipsville Hotel (listed 1977) and the Lehigh Canal: Eastern Section Glendon and Abbott Street Industrial Sites (1978).
How old are the homes in Palmer Township?
5% of Palmer Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (2), 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.
