Upper Gwynedd Township dates to 1891, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 49% of U.S. towns · #753 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of Upper Gwynedd Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1864.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Upper Gwynedd Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Upper Gwynedd Township is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #753 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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 Gwynedd 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 Gwynedd Township’s 8.1 sits above most of its state (74% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 14 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1891.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size.
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 Upper Gwynedd Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Upper Gwynedd Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1894Norristown 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 Gwynedd Township.
The story
How Upper Gwynedd Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Upper Gwynedd Township.
Gwynedd was founded in 1698 by Welsh Quakers. The township was then split into Lower Gwynedd and Upper Gwynedd in 1891. The name Gwynedd means "Fair Land" in Welsh.
The township is so named because it was originally settled largely by migrants from Gwynedd and other parts of North Wales in the 17th and 18th centuries. For several generations, the main language used in the township was Welsh.
The Keefe-Mumbower Mill, Knipe-Johnson Farm, Knipe-Moore-Rupp Farm, and Isaac Kulp Farm are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1891, according to Wikidata. Upper Gwynedd Township’s post office opened in 1864, and the census of 1930 counted 1,478 people here.
How does Upper Gwynedd Township rank for history?
Upper Gwynedd Township is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #753 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 Upper Gwynedd Township?
4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Isaac Kulp Farm (listed 1999, the first). 14 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Upper Gwynedd Township?
6% of Upper Gwynedd Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
