2 of Swatara Township’s places are on the National Register
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #720 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Steelton High School and the Midland Cemetery. Most of Swatara Township was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1970.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Swatara Township is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #720 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Swatara 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 Swatara Township’s 1.1 sits near the middle of its state (53% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±2.2 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 Swatara Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1729, the Paxtang Township of Lancaster County was established. The spelling "Paxtang" is from the original Indian name Peshtank, which meant "standing water".
On March 4, 1785, Dauphin County was formed from Lancaster County, with the word "Dauphin" referring to the Dauphin of France, the heir apparent to the French throne whose country the area government wanted to honor for its assistance in the Revolutionary War. In August 1787 the legislature separated Paxtang Township into Upper Paxtang, Middle Paxtang, and Lower Paxtang townships.
Lower Paxtang Township embraced the areas now known as Lower Swatara, Swatara, Lower Paxton, Derry, and Susquehanna townships.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Swatara Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943New 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 Swatara Township.
On the National Register
2 historic places in Swatara Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Swatara Township is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #720 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 Swatara Township?
Two places: the Steelton High School (listed 2011) and the Midland Cemetery (2023).
How old are the homes in Swatara Township?
9% of Swatara Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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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