The Silver Lake Township post office opened in 1810, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Silver Lake (1810) and Laurel Lake (1903), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,513216 years
How historic is Silver Lake Township?
A−
More historic than 78% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Silver Lake Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Silver Lake Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Silver Lake Township is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Silver Lake 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 Silver Lake Township’s 5.9 sits above most of its state (69% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±3.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Silver Lake Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
On February 18, 1809, Dr Robert H Rose purchased 248 tracts of land totaling about 100,000 acres which at that time was part of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. A part of the land purchased would later form the whole of Silver Lake Township, Susquehanna County. The land was deeded from Anne Francis to Rose with Richard Penn Jr., the grandson of William Penn, signing the deed after noting his equitable interest and confirming the sale.
On April 27, 1813, Silver Lake Township was formed from the north part of Bridgewater Township in this area.
In 1848, J.W. Brackney of Prattsville, NY, founded the village of Brackney where he operated a large tannery.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Silver Lake Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Montrose 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 Silver Lake Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Silver Lake Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The Silver Lake Township post office opened in 1810, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Silver Lake Township rank for history?
Silver Lake Township is more historic than 78% 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 Silver Lake Township?
One place: the Silver Lake Schoolhouse #1 (listed 2024).
How old are the homes in Silver Lake Township?
18% of Silver Lake Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
