Founding year: the first Pine Grove post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1830.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pine Grove’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pine Grove is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pine Grove’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 Pine Grove’s 1,105 sits above most of its state (97% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 234 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1830 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Pine Grove’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
European settlement of the area by German Palatines, however, pre-dates this official founding date by at least several decades. Historical records document the Jacob Gunkle building was Lutheran church in the area as early as 1782.
The historic Nutting Hall was built between 1823 and 1825. Both Nutting Hall and the surrounding Pine Grove Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The 335-seat Pine Grove Theatre, which is also part of the Pine Grove Historic District, opened in 1910 and is still up and running {2021}.
The Union Canal, from Lebanon to Pine Grove was completed in 1832. The coal was first hauled down from the mines in wagons. In 1832, the canal company built a railroad, from the junction to the canal, a little over three miles. The first coal operators were Caleb AVlieolcr, Jas. C. Oliver (wlio lived
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Blue book of Schuylkill County1916 · page 143Read the page →
Read the text
Pine Grove Township was erected in 1771, its area included the land west of the Schuylkill River, between the Blue and Sharp Mountains; the line extending from the top of the mountain and including that part of Bern Township that lay north of that division and on the north side of the mountain. In the first assessment of taxes, 1771, there were fifty-five taxpayers, among whom were: Michael Forrer, Hans and Frederick Weiser, Michael Bretz, George Bressler,
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
Pine Grove, 1818 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Pine Grove post office opened in 1818, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1830.
How does Pine Grove rank for history?
Pine Grove is more historic than 98% 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.
What is on the National Register in Pine Grove?
Two places: the Nutting Hall (listed 1980) and the Pine Grove Historic District (1987).
How old are the homes in Pine Grove?
57% of Pine Grove’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.5 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), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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