On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Providence Township is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #925 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Providence Township’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 Providence Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.0 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Providence Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
New Providence
1825–today
Smithville
1840–1934
Truce
1887–1915
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
New ProvidenceSmithvilleTruceUnion
Gone or out of use
New Providence Post Officepost officeSmithville Post Officepost office
8cemeteries and burying grounds inside Providence Township
BowmanClearfield MethodistGroff - Stoneroad - ReeseHuberNew Providence Church of GodNew Providence MennoniteSmithville Church of GodUnion African Methodist Episcopal
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Providence Township on the map, 1912 to 1992
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Providence Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1912Quarryville 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 Providence Township.
The story so far
Providence Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Providence Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Providence Township is a township that is located in south central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,025 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Solanco School District.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 6,897 in 2010, 6,995 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Providence Township, 1825 to 1934
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.
Providence Township is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #925 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.
How old are the homes in Providence Township?
12% of Providence Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.0 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1986.
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 (5), 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.
2025
2025
2015