Most of Upper Burrell Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1907 on and the census since 2000.
What drives Upper Burrell Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Upper Burrell Township is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns. 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 Upper Burrell 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 Upper Burrell Township’s 4.9 sits above most of its state (67% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points).
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 Upper Burrell Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Merwin
1879–1906
Milligantown
1889–1905
Alcoa Center
1972–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Alcoa CenterMilligantown
1cemetery inside Upper Burrell Township
Bethesda
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Upper Burrell Township on the map, 1907 to 1993
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Upper Burrell Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1907Freeport 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 Upper Burrell Township.
The story
How Upper Burrell Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Upper Burrell Township.
Northern Westmoreland County was once part of the hunting grounds of the Iroquois Five Nations, first settled by Europeans in the 1760s. In 1852, Allegheny Township, which covered nearly all of the northeastern corner of Westmoreland County, was divided into smaller districts to accommodate a growing population. One of these became Burrell Township, which in 1879 was divided into Lower and Upper Burrell townships. In the 1890s, Lower Burrell was further divided into the cities of New Kensington and Arnold. Farming, coal mining, and milling were the mainstays of the local economy in the 19th and early 20th century. There are several historic buildings from that era still standing in Upper Burrell Township; the Byerly House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Upper Burrell Township is more historic than 46% 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.
What is on the National Register in Upper Burrell Township?
One place: the Byerly House (listed 1985).
How old are the homes in Upper Burrell Township?
6% of Upper Burrell Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
