Phoenixville dates to 1732, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #43 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 1,024 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1828. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Phoenixville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Phoenixville is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #43 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Phoenixville’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 Phoenixville’s 527 sits above most of its state (94% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1,025 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 points). Two sources give 1732.
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 Phoenixville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Phoenixville, building by building, 1886–1921
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.
The Phoenixville area was originally known as Manavon, after early-Chester County judge and politician David Lloyd bought a tract of land he named "Manavon" (believed to have come from Lloyd's home parish of Manafon in Wales) in 1713. The town was originally settled in 1732, and was situated within Charlestown Township. In its early years, Manavon developed around a grist mill situated upon the banks of the French Creek. In 1790, the French Creek Nail Works (later the Phoenix Iron Works) opened as the first nail factory in the United States, and would become the economic center of the town for nearly the next two centuries, producing notable products such as the Griffen gun and the Phoenix column.
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 1732, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Phoenixville’s post office opened in 1828, and the census of 1850 counted 2,670 people here.
How does Phoenixville rank for history?
Phoenixville is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #43 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 Phoenixville?
Three places: the Gay Street School (listed 1983), the Black Rock Bridge (1988) and the Phoenixville Historic District (1987).
How old are the homes in Phoenixville?
27% of Phoenixville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (5), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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