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History · Prompton

Prompton dates to 1818, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1850.

1818founded
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Prompton began

When was Prompton founded?

1818

Prompton dates its founding to 1818 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 306 in 18502020 census: 237208 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1834.

What stands out about Prompton’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.On the map since 18924 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1999. Watch Prompton change.Boom and bustPeaked at 394 in 1870; 237 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1818: 208 years of Prompton.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Prompton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Prompton’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.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Prompton on the map, 1892 to 1999

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

Prompton on the 1892 USGS mapPrompton on the 1946 USGS mapPrompton on the 1969 USGS mapPrompton on the 1999 USGS map1892Honesdale 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 Prompton.

People over time

Prompton, census by census

01002003004001850190019502000Peak: 394

Peaked at 394 in 1870; 237 people lived here in 2020.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

The story so far

Prompton, in brief

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

Prompton is a borough that is located in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Prompton had a population of 237.

Prompton was established in 1818. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 250 to 237 (-5%).

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

Timeline

Prompton, 1818 to 1892

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1818
    FoundingPrompton is established
  3. 1834Post officeThe Prompton post office opens
  4. 1870CensusPopulation peaks at 394
  5. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Prompton, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
2022 Water quality monitoring, Prompton ReservoirDate?2022 Water quality monitoring, Prompton ReservoirBook
Today6 recent
Prompton, PA park, July 20262026Prompton, PA park, July 2026Prompton, PA cemetery, July 20262026Prompton, PA cemetery, July 2026Prompton, PA Keystone marker, July 20262026Prompton, PA Keystone marker, July 2026Prompton, PA Fire and Rescue Unit, July 20262026Prompton, PA Fire and Rescue Unit, July 2026USPO Prompton PA 18456-99982015USPO Prompton PA 18456-9998D&H Gravity - 1848 Honesdale2011D&H Gravity - 1848 Honesdale
Famous people

Famous people close to Prompton

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

See all →
Henry Augustus RowlandAmerican physicist · b. 1848
Lyman LemnitzerAmerican general · b. 1899
Pat O'MalleyAmerican stage and film actor · b. 1890
Jennie Augusta BrownscombeAmerican painter · b. 1850
Mary Dimmick HarrisonSecond wife of the 23rd United States president… · b. 1858
Walter Tennyson SwingleAmerican botanist · b. 1871
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Texas Township1 historic placeA+Canaan TownshipIts storyBDyberry TownshipIts storyC

Questions about Prompton’s history

What year was Prompton founded?

In 1818, according to Wikidata. Prompton’s post office opened in 1834, and the census of 1850 counted 306 people here.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (7), 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.