Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1867.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Paxtang’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Paxtang is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Paxtang’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 Paxtang’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1722.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±10.7 points).
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 Paxtang’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Paxtang dates to the 18th century when Euro-Americans settled at the site of the Shawnee-Lenape village of Peshtank. The Lenape called the village Peshtank meaning "where the waters stand" which in English became Paxtang or Paxton. Several important trails and routes developed in the area as the Susquehanna River was easily forded here, making Paxtang an ideal location for the movement of people and trade goods across the river.
Passages that mention Paxtang, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania1907 · page 198Read the page →
Read the text
"A Petition from the Inhabitants of the Township of Paxtang, was read, setting forth that the evacuating Fort Hunter is a Great Discouragement to the Township; that Fort Halifax is not necessary to secure the Communication with Fort Augusta, and is not so proper a Station for the Battoe Parties as Fort Hunter, and praying the Governor would please to fix a sufficient number of men at Hunters under the command of an active oflUcer with strict orders to range the Frontier Daily."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania1907 · page 465Read the page →
Read the text
On the 14th day of May, 1743, Edward Smout, deputy surveyor under Blunston, sur\'eyor for Lancaster county, surveyed for John Fisher, of Philadelphia, "in right of Jacob Job," a tract of land situate in the township of Paxtang, in the county of Lancaster, minutely describing the four hundred and twenty-three acres above named.
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.
By decade
Paxtang, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 1722, according to Wikidata. Paxtang’s post office opened in 1867.
How does Paxtang rank for history?
Paxtang is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Paxtang?
61% of Paxtang’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.7 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1938.
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), Wikipedia, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
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