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BHistory
History · Perry Township

Perry Township dates to 1845, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 63% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 2000.

1845founded
0on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Perry Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Perry Township began

When was Perry Township founded?

1845

Perry Township dates its founding to 1845 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 2000.

First census: 1,930 in 20002020 census: 1,853181 years

How historic is Perry Township?

B

More historic than 63% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1845.
History grade

What drives Perry Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Perry Township is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Perry Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1845, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194021.4% of homes (±6.3) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%B+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical PA town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 63%
NewerOlder

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 Perry Township’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 Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1845.
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 (±6.3 points).

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Perry Township’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.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Perry Township, and 3 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19085 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1990. Watch Perry Township change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1845: 181 years of Perry Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Perry Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewSouth High Street Bridge, South High St…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Wurtemberg
1845–1904
Pleasant Hill
1878–1903
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Pleasant HillPyles MillsWurtemburg
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Perry Township
Mountville Presbyterian ChurchPleasant Hill

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the map

Perry Township on the map, 1908 to 1990

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

Perry Township on the 1908 USGS mapPerry Township on the 1910 USGS mapPerry Township on the 1961 USGS mapPerry Township on the 1970 USGS mapPerry Township on the 1990 USGS map1908Zelienople 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 Perry Township.

The story so far

Perry Township, in brief

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

Perry Township is a township in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,854 at the time of the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 1,938 tabulated in 2010. It was originally incorporated in 1845 as part of Beaver County, and in 1849, joined the newly created Lawrence County.

Perry Township was established in 1845. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,938 to 1,853 (-4%).

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

Timeline

Perry Township, 1845 to 1908

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1845
    FoundingPerry Township is established
  3. 1845Post officeThe Wurtemberg post office opens
  4. 1878Post officeThe Pleasant Hill post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1903Post officeThe Pleasant Hill post office closes
  7. 1904Post officeThe Wurtemberg post office closes
  8. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Perry Township, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
South High Street Bridge, South High Street, spanning Little Juniata Creek, DuncannonDate?South High Street Bridge, South High Street, spanning…
Today2 recent
Wurtemburg Public School2014Wurtemburg Public SchoolPerry Township municipal building on Reno Road2014Perry Township municipal building on Reno Road
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.

South High Street Bridge, South High Street, spanning Little Juniata Creek, Duncannon
Retake this viewSouth High Street Bridge, South High Street, spanning Little Juniata Creek, Duncannon

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Perry Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,00020002020Peak: 1,938

Between 1,854 and 1,938 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Perry Township

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

See all →
Jim GerlachAmerican politician · b. 1955
Dick AllenAmerican baseball player and singer · b. 1942
Hack WilsonAmerican baseball player · b. 1900
Kitty McHughAmerican actress · b. 1902
Sean MillerAmerican basketball coach · b. 1968
M
Mark E. DavisAmerican chemical engineer · b. 1955
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Slippery Rock Township1 historic placeA−Wayne TownshipIts storyBWurtemburgIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEllportIts storyCFranklin TownshipIts storyC+FriscoIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Perry Township’s history

What year was Perry Township founded?

In 1845, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Perry Township’s post office opened in 1845, and the census of 2000 counted 1,930 people here.

How does Perry Township rank for history?

Perry Township is more historic than 63% 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 Perry Township?

21% of Perry Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1963.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (1), 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.