Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Shiremanstown’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Shiremanstown is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Shiremanstown’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 Shiremanstown’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.7 points). Two sources give 1813.
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 Shiremanstown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Shiremanstown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1906New Cumberland 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 Shiremanstown.
Timeline
Shiremanstown, 1813 to 1972
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The borough has a history that dates back prior to its establishment in 1864. The borough was named after Daniel Shireman, a German immigrant who settled in the area in the 18th century. Daniel Shireman was a butcher by trade and became a prominent figure in the community.
Before its incorporation as a borough, the area was part of Lower Allen Township. The community grew around the Shireman family and their contributions to the local economy. The town community grew again with the addition of St. John's Lutheran Church.
In 1813, according to Wikidata. Shiremanstown’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1880 counted 404 people here.
How does Shiremanstown rank for history?
Shiremanstown is more historic than 68% 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.
How old are the homes in Shiremanstown?
27% of Shiremanstown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.7 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1956.
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 (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.
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