Tinicum Township dates to 1643, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #166 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Printzhof, The, a National Historic Landmark. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1859.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Tinicum Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tinicum Township is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #166 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Tinicum 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 Tinicum Township’s 12.6 sits above most of its state (79% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1643.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.1 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 Tinicum Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Tinicum Township has the distinction of being the site of the first recorded European settlement in Pennsylvania. Fort Nya Gothenborg, located on the South River, was settled by colonial Swedes in 1643. It served as capital of the New Sweden colony, under the rule of Royal Governor Johan Björnsson Printz. Governor Printz built his manor house, The Printzhof, on Tinicum Island, from which he administered the colony. The original Lenape called the place Mahtanikunk, meaning "where they catch up with each other". The township is the site of the Philadelphia Lazaretto, the first quarantine hospital in the United States. It and the Printzhof are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tinicum Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Camden sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Tinicum Township.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Delaware County - Tinicum - ED 23-174, ED 23-175, ED 23-176, 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Tinicum Township’s page.
In 1643, according to Wikidata. Tinicum Township’s post office opened in 1859, and the census of 1930 counted 3,630 people here.
How does Tinicum Township rank for history?
Tinicum Township is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #166 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 Tinicum Township?
Two places: the Printzhof, The (listed 1966) and the Lazaretto, The (1972).
How old are the homes in Tinicum Township?
17% of Tinicum Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1956.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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