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History · Rutledge

Rutledge dates to 1885, and 65% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 1890.

1885founded
0on the National Register
65%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Rutledge began

When was Rutledge founded?

1885

Rutledge dates its founding to 1885 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 269 in 18902020 census: 782141 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1889.The full story ↓

What stands out about Rutledge’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Rutledge are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18946 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1994. Watch Rutledge change.Old housesHalf of Rutledge’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,167 in 1970; 782 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rutledge’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rutledge’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Rutledge on the map, 1894 to 1994

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

Rutledge on the 1894 USGS mapRutledge on the 1942 USGS mapRutledge on the 1956 USGS mapRutledge on the 1967 USGS mapRutledge on the 1973 USGS mapRutledge on the 1994 USGS map1894Chester 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 Rutledge.

The story

How Rutledge came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rutledge.

Read it all →

Rutledge was founded in 1885 by a group of Philadelphia businessmen, and incorporated as a borough in 1887. A promotional brochure produced in 1897 described the community as follows:

"Located ten miles from Philadelphia, on the line of the Central Division of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, three minutes walk from Morton Station – it is reached in from 20 to 30 minutes by 21 trains daily… To the west lies the magnificent Swarthmore College, and to the southeast, three miles away, lies the Delaware River... its school is one of the finest in the county; its houses are neat and attractive, and their owners take great pride in their homes and the adornment of their grounds."

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Rutledge, 1885 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1885
    FoundingRutledge is established
  3. 1889Post officeThe Rutledge post office opens
  4. 1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1960Post officeThe Rutledge post office closes
  7. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,167
By decade

Rutledge, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Triangle Park, Rutledge, PA, Aug. 20252025Triangle Park, Rutledge, PA, Aug. 2025House in2015House inBorough Hall2015Borough HallRutledge, Delaware County, Pennsylvania2007Rutledge, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
People over time

Rutledge, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,167

Peaked at 1,167 in 1970; 782 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Rutledge had its own post office from 1889 to 1960.

Rutledge
1889–1960
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Ridley TownshipIts storyCFolsomIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Rutledge’s history

What year was Rutledge founded?

In 1885, according to Wikidata. Rutledge’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1890 counted 269 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (4), Wikipedia, 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.