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History · Penryn

Penryn’s post office opened in 1891, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1902 on.

1891first post office
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Penryn began

When was Penryn founded?

1891

The Penryn post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 980135 years
Founding year: the first Penryn post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Penryn’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Penryn are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19026 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1995. Watch Penryn change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Penryn’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Penryn on the map, 1902 to 1995

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

Penryn on the 1902 USGS mapPenryn on the 1943 USGS mapPenryn on the 1956 USGS mapPenryn on the 1969 USGS mapPenryn on the 1975 USGS mapPenryn on the 1995 USGS map1902Lancaster 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 Penryn.

The story so far

Penryn, in brief

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

Penryn is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Penn Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 1,024.

Its first post office opened in 1891. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,024 to 980 (-4%).

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

By decade

Penryn, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Horizon in2019Horizon in
Famous people

Famous people close to Penryn

Nobody well known was born in Penryn itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Samuel P. HeintzelmanUnion Army general · b. 1805
Ada PattersonAmerican journalist · b. 1867
William S. RiceAmerican artist · b. 1873
K
K. T. KellerAmerican automotive executive and art collector… · b. 1885
M
Melissa Minnich ColemanAmerican architect · b. 1917
Sydenham Elnathan AnconaAmerican politician · b. 1824
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Penn TownshipIts storyCElizabeth Township2 historic placesA−

Questions about Penryn’s history

What year was Penryn founded?

The Penryn post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (1) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.