1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 35 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1868.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Robesonia’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Robesonia is more historic than 95% 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 Robesonia’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 Robesonia’s 155 sits above most of its state (90% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 35 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1777.
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 (±9.0 points).
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 Robesonia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Once famous for its iron furnaces (c. 1794–1927), the town was founded in 1855 by Henry P. Robeson, who had acquired existing iron manufacturing operations and founded the Robesonia Iron Company in 1845. The Robesonia Furnace Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Several of the largest employers include C&S Wholesale Grocers, a food distributor, Magnatech International, and Snap-On Tools. The town is also known for its Pennsylvania German-style pottery, also sometimes called redware.
Passages that mention Robesonia, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, comp. by Morton L. Montgomery ..1909 · page 737Read the page →
Read the text
Pierce. He settled in Berks county and began to work in the mines at Moselem, where he lived for four years. In the spring of 1859 he came to Robesonia and began working at the Robesonia Iron Company's plant, where he continued until his retirement in 1901, since then he has occupied his pleasant home on Elm street. During his long connection with the iron works he was Variously employed in almost
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Berks county in Pennsylvania1886 · page 458Read the page →
Read the text
The length of this railroad in the county is sixteen miles. It has the following stations: Sinking Spring, Wernersville, Robesonia, Womelsdorf. East Penn.— On the 9th of March, 1856, an act of Assembly was passed incorporating the "Reading and Lehigh Railroad Company," for the purpose of constructing a railroad from
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
Robesonia, 1777 to 1972
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Robesonia’s post office has been open since 1886. Another post office, Robesonia Furnaces, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Robesonia Furnaces
1868–1886
Robesonia
1886–today
18601940today
Gone or out of use
Robesonia Furnacelocale
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Robesonia’s history
What year was Robesonia founded?
In 1777, according to Wikidata. Robesonia’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1880 counted 284 people here.
How does Robesonia rank for history?
Robesonia is more historic than 95% 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 Robesonia?
One place: the Robesonia Furnace Historic District (listed 1991).
How old are the homes in Robesonia?
33% of Robesonia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.0 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1955.
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), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 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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