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–Not graded
History · Temple

Temple’s post office opened in 1857, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

1857first post office
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Temple began

When was Temple founded?

1857

The Temple post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 2,073169 years
Founding year: the first Temple post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Temple’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Temple are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Temple’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Temple’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Temple’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Temple, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Temple yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Temple is a census-designated place in Muhlenberg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States at an elevation of 361 feet (110 m). The community was named for a local inn called Solomon's Temple. Temple was an independent borough from 1922 until it was disincorporated on January 1, 1999. The ZIP code is 19560. As of the 2022 American Community Survey, the population was 2,251 residents.

Its first post office opened in 1857. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,877 to 2,073 (+10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Temple, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Zion Church of God, Temple, PA, June 20252025Zion Church of God, Temple, PA, June 2025Temple, PA post office, June 20252025Temple, PA post office, June 2025Kutztown Road nb entering Temple, PA, June 20252025Kutztown Road nb entering Temple, PA, June 2025Citizens Bank, Temple, PA, June 20252025Citizens Bank, Temple, PA, June 2025
Famous people

Famous people close to Temple

Nobody well known was born in Temple itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
John UpdikeAmerican novelist, poet · b. 1932
Wallace StevensAmerican poet · b. 1879
Chad HurleyAmerican businessman, co-founder of YouTube · b. 1977
John BarrassoAmerican physician and politician · b. 1952
Spencer Fullerton BairdAmerican naturalist, ornithologist, ichthyologi… · b. 1823
A
Austin SwiftAmerican actor · b. 1992
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

South TempleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Temple’s history

What year was Temple founded?

The Temple post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.