The story
Read it all →How South Middleton Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of South Middleton Township.
The James Given Tavern was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
B+History
History · South Middleton Township
4 of South Middleton Township’s places are on the National Register
More historic than 71% of U.S. towns · #457 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of South Middleton Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1904 on.
4on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
About South Middleton Township’s history
How historic is South Middleton Township?
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What drives the grade ↓More historic than 71% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives South Middleton Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South Middleton Township is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #457 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South Middleton Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraThe records don’t settle when South Middleton Township was founded, so age is left out of this grade–Homes built before 19406.3% of homes (±2.5) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register4 listings, 131 historic buildings, 78.2 per 10,000 residents · typical PA town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 71%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 56%
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 South Middleton Township’s 78.2 sits above most of its state (88% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 131 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% 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 (±2.5 points) is firm at this size.
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 South Middleton Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A historic districtThe Boiling Springs Historic District takes in 127 historic buildings.Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s South Middleton Township, and 9 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of South Middleton Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19046 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1994. Watch South Middleton Township change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register
4 listings protect 131 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
131
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Boiling Springs Historic District
BuildingsDistricts
Architectural styles listings
Federal2
Georgian1
Italianate1
Gothic1
Victorian1
Early Republican1
All 4 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Boiling Springs
Hatton
Uriah
Craighead
Bonnybrook
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Boiling SpringsBonny BrookCarlisle JunctionCoyleCraigheadHattonMount ZionSpringvilleUriah
9cemeteries and burying grounds inside South Middleton Township
Bonny BrookEge Burial PlotHerrKeenytownMount Holly SpringsMount Victory ChurchPillars of OrthodoxySpringvilleStrickler
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Help out
Start South Middleton Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how South Middleton Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
South Middleton Township, 1849 to 1916
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1849Post officeThe Boiling Springs post office opens
- 1883Post officeThe Hatton post office opens
- 1885Post officeThe Uriah post office opens
- 20th century
- 1903Post officeThe Hatton post office closes
- 1904
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1916Post officeThe Uriah post office closes
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your albumOn the map
South Middleton Township on the map, 1904 to 1994
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of South Middleton Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Carlisle sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of South Middleton Township.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to South Middleton Township
Nobody well known was born in South Middleton Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about South Middleton Township’s history
How does South Middleton Township rank for history?
South Middleton Township is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #457 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.
What is on the National Register in South Middleton Township?
4 listings: 3 buildings and 1 historic district, the Boiling Springs Historic District, with 127 contributing buildings. 131 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in South Middleton Township?
6% of South Middleton Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1986.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
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).
From the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, 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.