Pottstown dates to 1750, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #19 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 1,080 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1830.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1793.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pottstown’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pottstown is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #19 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs put Pottstown near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pottstown’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 Pottstown’s 463 sits above most of its state (94% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1,086 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 (±3.5 points). Two sources give 1750.
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 Pottstown’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
Pottstown, building by building, 1885–1916
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.
Modern-day Pottstown is on land originally deeded to William Penn. Germans, Swedes and English were among the area's first European settlers. After establishment of the first iron forge in 1714, Pottstown's fortunes became tied to the iron industry, and blast furnaces for production of iron and later steel eventually opened in the area.
Iron and steel production attracted the Potts family, iron masters by trade. They established a forge and built a large home just west of the Manatawny Creek. John Potts founded a town in 1761 on part of the 995 acres (4.03 km2) that he owned. It is the home of the nation's oldest mill, Pottstown Roller Mill.
Passages that mention Pottstown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Historical sketch of St. Aloysius' parish, Pottstown, Pennsylvania1906 · page 38Read the page →
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After the Philadelphia Bridge Works was established here, in 1877, by Cofrode & Saylor, many Catholics came to Pottstown, prominent among whom was the late James B. Kelly, foreman of the blacksmith shop, who came to Pottstown in the fall of 1879. When the new church was built, ten years later, he collected a great deal of money for the building fund. Several other CathoHcs known to many of us were attracted here by the bridge works.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Historical sketch of St. Aloysius' parish, Pottstown, Pennsylvania1906 · page 17Read the page →
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After the parish of Phoenixville was organized and a resident pastor stationed there, Pottstown was made a mission of that place. Father O'Farrel, or his assistant. Father Quinn, came to Pottstown on an occasional Sunday and said Mass and administered the Sacraments in dwellings. Al)out once every three months these visitations took place, and the Catholics gathered to assist at the Holy Sacrifice in the homes of either Frederick S. Missi-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1884 · page 554Read the page →
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cal education. He .studied law in the office of Henry W. Smith at Reading. In November, 1864, he was admitted to the bar in Montgomery County, and located as an attorney at Pottstown, where he still remains in practice. He is solicitor for the borough of Pottstown, for the National Bank of Pottstown and for the Warwick Iron Company.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1884 · page 786Read the page →
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The first house of worship supposed to have been built in Pottstown was the Friends' Meeting-house. Soon after the laying out of the jilace, in 1753, John Potts donated a lot of ground for this purpose, on which, no doubt, it was shortly thereafter erected. Jesse Ives, long a member, and owner of the extensive grist-mill on the Manatawny, stated in 1850 that when Washington's army was here in September 1777, the meeting-
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
Pottstown, 1750 to 2002
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 1750, according to Wikidata. Pottstown’s post office opened in 1793, and the census of 1830 counted 676 people here.
How does Pottstown rank for history?
Pottstown is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #19 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 Pottstown?
8 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Pottsgrove Mansion (listed 1974, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Old Pottstown Historic District and the High Street Historic District, with 1,080 contributing buildings. 1,086 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Pottstown?
39% of Pottstown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1951.
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 (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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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