Towanda dates to 1784, and 65% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #45 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 440 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1830.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1810.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Towanda’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Towanda is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #45 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Towanda’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 Towanda’s 1,576 sits above most of its state (99% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 440 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.5 points). Two sources give 1784.
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 Towanda’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Towanda, building by building, 1885–1927
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Towanda was settled in 1784 and became the county seat in 1812. It was variously known for some years
as Meansville, Overton, Williamson, Monmouth, and Towanda, and incorporated in 1828. Towanda was once known primarily for its industrial interests, which included flour, planing and silk mills, a foundry and machine shop, dye works, and manufacturers of talking machines, cut glass, toys and furniture. The population in 1900 was 4,663 and 4,281 in 1910.
Passages that mention Towanda, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History and Geography of Bradford County Pennsylvania1926 · page 60Read the page →
Read the text
Little Wysox by John Hinman and James Lewis in 1792. To this Mr. Hinman added a saw-mill. <A gsaw-mill, in which Wm. Daugherty, Casper Singer and James Lewis were interested, was built near the mouth of Towanda creek in or before 1793. The first grist-mill on Towanda creek was built at Franklindale by the Allens in 1796, the site ever since having been occupied by a grist-mill. Abial Foster built the first saw-mill on Sugar creek about 1794, and a year or two
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History and Geography of Bradford County Pennsylvania1926 · page 456Read the page →
Read the text
The first settlers reached Granville by cutting a road through the forest from West Burlington. In 1807 a road was opened across the township from Sugar creek to Towanda ereek. A road, east and west, through the township from Towanda creek near West Franklin to the Wilson settlement at Alba, was laid out in 1811. A mail route was opened from Burlington in 1824 and the mail brought in once a week on horse-back.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania1878 · page 297Read the page →
Read the text
provision store, two carriage-manufactories, one hotel, the " Union," one physician, Dr. Irad Wilson, one post-office, a railroad depot and telegraph-office, and two or more mechanics' shops. A branch of Towanda creek courses through the borough alongside of the railroad, — the Williamsport and Elmira railroad.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania1878 · page 286Read the page →
Read the text
The first settlement or movement therefor in the township was made in the fall of 1856, by the Towanda coal company. There are at the present time five settlements in the town, the most northern one called Graydon, next south _ Dublin, Barclay post-oflice still further south, Pall Creek a little way east of the post-office, and a settlement at the foot of the incline of the railroad.
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.
Timeline
Towanda, 1784 to 1923
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1784, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Towanda’s post office opened in 1810, and the census of 1830 counted 224 people here.
How does Towanda rank for history?
Towanda is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #45 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 Towanda?
One place: the Towanda Historic District (listed 1992).
How old are the homes in Towanda?
65% of Towanda’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.5 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1938.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
1880
