Upper Merion Township dates to 1713, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #299 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of Upper Merion Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and two historic districts with 31 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 1930.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Upper Merion Township is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #299 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Upper Merion 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 Merion Township’s 10.0 sits above most of its state (77% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 35 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1713.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 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 Merion 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, places now gone and burying grounds
Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Gulf Mills
1820–1900
Upper Merion
1829–1837
King Of Prussia
1837–1958
Swedeland
1871–1973
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AbrahamsBeidler KnollBelmont TerraceBob White FarmsBrandywine VillageCandle BrookCannon RunCannon Run WestCinnamon HillColonial VillageConshohocken StationContinental ArmsCrestwyckCrooked Lane CrossingDartmouth HillsEastburn TerraceExecutive Estates ParkForge Spring VillageGlenn RoseGulph MillsGulph Mills VillageGulph TerraceHendersonHenderson Park
Gone or out of use
Fort WashingtonparkHenderson StationbuildingMaplelocaleMcCoy QuarryminePort Kennedy Quarrymine
10cemeteries and burying grounds inside Upper Merion Township
First Presbyterian of Port Kennedy ChurchyardGulph United Church of ChristHenderson RoadOld Swedes Christ ChurchRobertsSaint Augustine'sSaints Peter and Paul Ukrainian GreekUnion ChapelValley Forge Memorial GardensWashington Memorial Chapel
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Help out
Start Upper Merion Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Upper Merion Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Upper Merion 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 Merion Township.
The story
How Upper Merion Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Upper Merion Township.
The township's incorporation dates to 1713 when the King of Prussia Inn, the Bird-In-Hand Inn in Gulph Mills, and later the Swedes Ford Inn were required to pay 6 shillings to the Pennsylvania legislature for licenses. The King of Prussia Inn, built in 1719, captures the historical flavor of the township. It was named in honor of Frederick the Great, but became known during the Revolutionary War as a center of food and drink. An alternate story says the Inn, first called Berry's Tavern, got its name to lure in Prussian mercenaries who spent freely.
In 1713, according to Wikidata. Upper Merion Township’s post office opened in 1820, and the census of 1930 counted 5,889 people here.
How does Upper Merion Township rank for history?
Upper Merion Township is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #299 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 Merion Township?
7 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 3 buildings, among them the Washington's Headquarters (a National Historic Landmark since 1973), 2 historic districts, the Valley Forge National Historical Park and the Washington Memorial Chapel, with 31 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 1 structure. 35 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Upper Merion Township?
6% of Upper Merion Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.
