History · Philadelphia

Philadelphia has 615 places on the National Register, 68 of them National Historic Landmarks

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #22 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Dated to 1682 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history), with 40% of its homes built before 1940 and 69 historic districts holding 18,568 contributing buildings. Below: 16 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, the census since 1790, and every listing on the Register.

1682founded

615on the National Register

40%homes built before 1940

16old photos & papers

30famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

Quick answers

How Philadelphia began

When was Philadelphia founded?

1682

Philadelphia dates its founding to 1682 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 28,522 in 17902020 census: 1,603,797344 years

How historic is Philadelphia?

A⁺

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1775.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Philadelphia’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Philadelphia is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #22 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs put Philadelphia near the top nationally; its age ranks highest.

A⁺

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Philadelphia’s overall grade.

Founding era1682, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA⁺Homes built before 194039.9% of homes (±0.5) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%A National Register615 listings, 18,568 historic buildings, 118 per 10,000 residents · typical PA town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4A

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the top 1%

NewerOlder

Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 98%

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Philadelphia ranks #8 on History.

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 Philadelphia’s 118 sits above most of its state (89% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 18,568 historic buildings are more than any other U.S. town’s.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1682. A citywide figure averages neighborhoods that differ a lot.

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 Philadelphia’s past

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

A National Historic Landmark615 places on the National Register, 68 of them National Historic Landmarks.A historic districtThe West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District takes in 3,382 historic buildings.Lost villages36 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Philadelphia, and 161 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 18917 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1995. Watch Philadelphia change.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

615 listings protect 18,568 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 68 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed

615

National Historic Landmarks

Academy of Music

historic buildings protected

18,568

each building in a district counts

first listed

1966

Academy of Music

BuildingsDistrictsSitesStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival68

Art Deco45

Italianate38

Classical Revival33

Late Gothic Revival33

Greek Revival24

★ Landmark

Academy of MusicRenaissance Revival · Built 1857

★ Landmark

American Philosophical Society HallLate Georgian

★ Landmark

Charles Willson Peale HouseDistrict

★ Landmark

Cliveden (Chew House)Building

★ Landmark

Colonial Germantown Historic DistrictRenaissance Revival

★ Landmark

Eastern State PenitentiaryBuilt 1829

★ Landmark

Edgar Allan Poe House, National Historic SiteBuilt 1966

★ Landmark

Elfreth's Alley Historic DistrictFederal

All 616 listings

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Philadelphia’s post office has been open since 1775. 36 other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Philadelphia

1775–today

Frankford

1800–1863

Bustletown

1803–1808

Holmesburg

1803–1867

Germantown

1805–1863

Leverings

1812–1823

Bustleton

1823–1867

Roxborough

1823–1831

Branch Town

1825–1831

Chesnut Hill

1825–1863

17701900today

Hamlets and corners on the map

Abbotsford HomesAcademy GardenAlden Park ManorAllegheny WestAllen LaneAndorraAngoraAshton Wooden BridgeBartram VillageBell RoadBella VistaBelmontBlue GrassBrewerytownBridesburgBurholmeBustletonByberryCarpenterCarroll ParkCedar GroveCedar ParkChestnut HillChestnut Wood Village

Gone or out of use

Baker BowllocaleBetsy Ross HousebuildingCardinal Dougherty High SchoolschoolConnie Mack StadiumlocaleCopter PNB Philadelphia AirportairportDrexel SchoolschoolEastern Correctional InstitutionbuildingEighth and Master Streets Yard AirportairportHaddington ParkparkInstitute of PennsylvaniahospitalJames Ramp Memorial Recreation CenterparkJohn F Kennedy StadiumlocaleKennedy HospitalhospitalLactona Corporation AirportairportLiberty Bell ParkparkMoyamensing PrisonbuildingPoint Breeze ParkparkStadium-Hilton Airportairport

40family graveyards and cemeteries inside Philadelphia

Adath JeshurunBelvueBenjamin Franklin's GraveByberry FriendsCedar HillChelten HillsChrist ChurchFairhillGreenmountGreenwoodHar NEBOHoodIvy HillLaurel HillLeveringtonMagnoliaMikveh IsraelMost Holy RedeemerMount CarmelMount Moriah Cemetery Naval PlotMount PeaceMount SinaiMount VernonNew CathedralNew CathedralNorth Cedar HillsNorthwoodOaklandOld CathedralOld CrispinPalmer KensingtonPhiladelphia NationalPhiladelphia NationalRoxborough Baptist ChurchSaint Mary of the Assumption CatholicSaint Mary of the AssumptionSaint Peters German Redemptionist FathersTrinityWilliam PennWoodlands

See all 40

Adath Jeshurun Cemetery · Belvue Cemetery · Benjamin Franklin's Grave · Byberry Friends Burial Ground · Cedar Hill Cemetery · Chelten Hills Cemetery · Christ Church Burial Ground · Fairhill Cemetery · Greenmount Cemetery · Greenwood Cemetery · Har NEBO Cemetery · Hood Cemetery · Ivy Hill Cemetery · Laurel Hill Cemetery · Leverington Cemetery · Magnolia Cemetery · Mikveh Israel Cemetery · Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery · Mount Carmel Cemetery · Mount Moriah Cemetery Naval Plot · Mount Peace Cemetery · Mount Sinai Cemetery · Mount Vernon Cemetery · New Cathedral Cemetery · New Cathedral Cemetery · North Cedar Hills Cemetery · Northwood Cemetery · Oakland Cemetery · Old Cathedral Cemetery · Old Crispin Cemetery · Palmer Kensington Burial Ground · Philadelphia National Cemetery · Philadelphia National Cemetery · Roxborough Baptist Church Cemetery · Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Cemetery · Saint Mary of the Assumption Cemetery · Saint Peters German Redemptionist Fathers Cemetery · Trinity Cemetery · William Penn Cemetery · Woodlands Cemetery

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

The story

How Philadelphia came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Philadelphia.

Read it all →

Before the arrival of Europeans in the early 17th century, the Lenape, an Indian tribe also known as the Delaware Indians, lived in the village of Shackamaxon in present-day Philadelphia and the surrounding area. The Lenape historically lived along the Delaware River watershed, western Long Island, and the Lower Hudson Valley. Most Lenape were pushed out of the region during the 18th century as the original Thirteen Colonies expanded, which was further exacerbated by losses from intertribal conflicts. Lenape communities were also weakened by newly introduced diseases, mainly smallpox, and conflicts with Europeans. The Iroquois occasionally fought the Lenape. Surviving Lenape moved west into the upper Ohio River basin. Following the American Revolutionary War and the subsequent establishment of the United States, the Lenape began moving further west. In the 1860s, the U.S. federal govern…

ChaptersNative peoples Colonial era American Revolution 19th century 20th century 21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Philadelphia in 1905

Passages that mention Philadelphia, cut from the printed page as they were published.

"Section 2.— Whereas the City of Philadelphia has come into possession of certain collections of great extent and value which have been presented to the City by various foreign governments upon the pledge that said collections shall be suitably cared for by the City of Philadelphia ; and whereas by… — **History of the Philadelphia almshouses and hospitals**1905 · page 349Read the page →
Read the text
"Section 2.— Whereas the City of Philadelphia has come into possession of certain collections of great extent and value which have been presented to the City by various foreign governments upon the pledge that said collections shall be suitably cared for by the City of Philadelphia ; and whereas by ordinance approved on the 15th day of June, 1894, there was created a Board of Trustees for establishing public museums to whose custod}- the aforementioned collections were consigned with instructions to
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Another important bill was approved on the loth day of October, 1896. It reads as follows : '• Section i. The Select and Common Councils of the City of Philadelphia do ordain, That whereas the City of Philadelphia has received and agreed to care for extensive and valuable collections of Commercial,… — **History of the Philadelphia almshouses and hospitals**1905 · page 353Read the page →
Read the text
Another important bill was approved on the loth day of October, 1896. It reads as follows : '• Section i. The Select and Common Councils of the City of Philadelphia do ordain, That whereas the City of Philadelphia has received and agreed to care for extensive and valuable collections of Commercial, Educational and Scientific material, and has created a Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Museums charged with this especial duty, and has made appropriations to said Board for
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.

Timeline

Philadelphia, 1682 to 1961

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

17th century
1682
FoundingPhiladelphia is established
18th century
1762BuiltMount Pleasant is built
1775Post officeThe Philadelphia post office opens
1776In the archiveDunlap Broadside [Declaration of Independence]
1794In the archiveSamuel Bartlett to Peleg Wadsworth, 16 July 1794 (3e1af97b-7149-40c0-9504-e33e83ca6185)
19th century
1800Post officeThe Frankford post office opens
1803Post officeThe Bustletown post office opens
1808Post officeThe Bustletown post office closes
1829BuiltEastern State Penitentiary is built
1857BuiltAcademy of Music is built
1863Post officeThe Frankford post office closes
1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
20th century
1928Born hereNoam Chomsky is born here
1929Born hereGrace Kelly is born here
1960LandmarkElfreth's Alley Historic District named a National Historic Landmark
1960LandmarkJohn Bartram House named a National Historic Landmark
1960LandmarkMount Pleasant named a National Historic Landmark
1961LandmarkCliveden (Chew House) named a National Historic Landmark

By decade

Philadelphia, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1770s to the 1790s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1770s–1790s16 items

1776Dunlap Broadside [Declaration of Independence]Document

1776Engrossed Declaration of IndependenceDocument

1777My Triumphant Entry intoDocument

Nicola - Plan of the English Lines Near Philadelphia 1777 (Detail showing Redoubt No 1)

1777Nicola - Plan of the English Lines Near Philadelphia …Map

Samuel Bartlett to Peleg Wadsworth, 16 July 1794 (3e1af97b-7149-40c0-9504-e33e83ca6185)

1794Samuel Bartlett to Peleg Wadsworth, 16 July 1794 (3e1…Document

Samuel Bartlett to Peleg Wadsworth, 16 July 1794 (792850c1-6916-42a4-b450-99bd92b149c2)

1794Samuel Bartlett to Peleg Wadsworth, 16 July 1794 (792…Document

Samuel Bartlett to Peleg Wadsworth, 16 July 1794 (bf597c3c-157b-4353-8557-ca262d24b143)

1794Samuel Bartlett to Peleg Wadsworth, 16 July 1794 (bf5…Document

Samuel Bartlett to Peleg Wadsworth, 16 July 1794 (f3f7f33a-9a7f-4763-ae9c-2fa20a564531)

1794Samuel Bartlett to Peleg Wadsworth, 16 July 1794 (f3f…Document

Peleg Wadsworth to John Wadsworth, 16 February 1797 (65b9bad8-5170-4595-b53a-5d3877cb0d33)

1797Peleg Wadsworth to John Wadsworth, 16 February 1797 (…Document

Peleg Wadsworth to John Wadsworth, 7 March 1798 (6d123890-603c-4b56-b951-03908daedca9)

1798Peleg Wadsworth to John Wadsworth, 7 March 1798 (6d12…Document

Peleg Wadsworth to John Wadsworth, 7 March 1798 (7d82bfec-ba79-4610-bb59-3cc356be9d23)

1798Peleg Wadsworth to John Wadsworth, 7 March 1798 (7d82…Document

Peleg Wadsworth to John Wadsworth, 7 March 1798 (82edfaa1-e3a6-4a9e-b405-caafc6300a03)

1798Peleg Wadsworth to John Wadsworth, 7 March 1798 (82ed…Document

Peleg Wadsworth to John Wadsworth, 7 March 1798 (c2d17bb4-098b-4e82-a936-15b6f9b37ad8)

1798Peleg Wadsworth to John Wadsworth, 7 March 1798 (c2d1…Document

Peleg Wadsworth to Elizabeth (Bartlett) Wadsworth, 17 January 1799 (8d51ef27-7019-4436-a424-86686e5cfef7)

1799Peleg Wadsworth to Elizabeth (Bartlett) Wadsworth, 17…Document

Peleg Wadsworth to Elizabeth (Bartlett) Wadsworth, 17 January 1799 (9a9747a7-fa58-4833-a3c2-9428b16abf7f)

1799Peleg Wadsworth to Elizabeth (Bartlett) Wadsworth, 17…Document

Peleg Wadsworth to Elizabeth (Bartlett) Wadsworth, 24 January 1799 (34f5c441-ba77-4cb5-a288-8f371584ba3c)

1799Peleg Wadsworth to Elizabeth (Bartlett) Wadsworth, 24…Document

On the map

Philadelphia on the map, 1891 to 1995

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

1891Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia.

Every building

Philadelphia, building by building, 1916–1919

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Philadelphia fire insurance map, 1916, sheet 3

1916Sheet 3 of 116

Edition

Sheets

+115 more at the Library of Congress

BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Philadelphia, census by census

Between 28,522 and 2,071,605 people in every census since 1790.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

30 famous people were born in Philadelphia

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →

Noam ChomskyAmerican linguist and activist · b. 1928

Will SmithAmerican actor, film producer and rapper · b. 1968

Grace KellyAmerican actress and Princess consort of Monaco · b. 1929

Kobe BryantAmerican basketball player · b. 1978

Margaret MeadAmerican anthropologist · b. 1901

Billie HolidayAmerican jazz singer · b. 1915

Help out

Finish Philadelphia’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Bensalem Township6 historic placesC⁺Upper Darby Township3 historic placesA YeadonIts storyB⁻Andalusia1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Lower Merion Township19 historic placesA⁺ColwynIts storyA⁻Tinicum Township2 historic placesA Darby TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town FolcroftIts storyB

Questions about Philadelphia’s history

What year was Philadelphia founded?

In 1682, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Philadelphia’s post office opened in 1775, and the first U.S. census counted 28,522 people here in 1790.

How does Philadelphia rank for history?

Philadelphia is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #22 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 Philadelphia?

615 listings, 68 of them National Historic Landmarks: 521 buildings, among them the Academy of Music (a National Historic Landmark since 1962), 69 historic districts with 17,730 contributing buildings, 5 sites, and 21 structures. 18,568 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Philadelphia?

40% of Philadelphia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1949.

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 (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (616), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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Philadelphia has 615 places on the National Register, 68 of them National Historic Landmarks

How Philadelphia began

When was Philadelphia founded?

How historic is Philadelphia?

What drives Philadelphia’s History grade

What stands out about Philadelphia’s past

615 listings protect 18,568 historic buildings

Architectural styles listings

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

How Philadelphia came to be

What they wrote about Philadelphia in 1905

Philadelphia, 1682 to 1961

Philadelphia, decade by decade

Philadelphia on the map, 1891 to 1995

Philadelphia, building by building, 1916–1919

Philadelphia, census by census

30 famous people were born in Philadelphia

Finish Philadelphia’s story

History across the town line

Questions about Philadelphia’s history

Memory lane

Where this page comes from