Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1887.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Tatamy’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tatamy is more historic than 72% 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 Tatamy’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 Tatamy’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1790.
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 (±8.9 points).
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 Tatamy’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The borough is named for Moses Tunda Tatamy, a Native American leader. Tatamy was awarded the land that would become the borough by the Penn family for his work as an interpreter, and in 1745 was the first American Indian to be baptized by David Brainerd. In 1771 the territory would be purchased by one Michael Messinger Sr. who plotted a village. In 1892 the village had become large enough to warrant incorporation as a borough, and was incorporated on June 12, 1893, by Judge H.J. Reeder.
Passages that mention Tatamy, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Northampton County [Pennsylvania] and the grand valley of the Lehigh under supervision and revision of William J. Heller, assisted by an advisory board of editors..1920 · page 523Read the page →
Read the text
Tatamy was a red man of persuasive powers, and by his native eloquence he controlled the warlike spirit of his people. He was converted to the Christian religion by David Brainerd, and was baptized in 1747, receiving the name of Moses Tatamy Funday. The grant of land to Tatamy was conferred on him by the Penns, and was on the cast side of the west branch, from the present borough of Tatamy northward to the northern limits of the present Stockertown. At the time of the banishment of the Indians from the Forks, at a council held at Philadelphia, November 20, 1742, Tatamy was present
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Northampton County [Pennsylvania] and the grand valley of the Lehigh under supervision and revision of William J. Heller, assisted by an advisory board of editors..1920 · page 524Read the page →
Read the text
mands if he could obtain permission from the Six Nations. He was successful in obtaining their approval, and remained upon his grant to the end of his davs. Tatamy was present at the treaty conference at Philadelphia in 1760, after which his name disappears from history. He had two sons, William and Nicholas; the former was fatally shot near the Irish settlement by a youth of fifteen years; his father bore the loss with Christian resignation.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
In 1790, according to Wikidata. Tatamy’s post office opened in 1887.
How does Tatamy rank for history?
Tatamy is more historic than 72% 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 Tatamy?
33% of Tatamy’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1968.
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), Wikipedia, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2022
2021
2014
