The story
Read it all →How Villanova came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Villanova.
The Bridge in Radnor Township No. 2 and Camp-Woods are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Villanova
Villanova’s post office opened in 1873, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1850 on and old-book passages.
1873first post office
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
8famous people
Quick answers
How Villanova began
When was Villanova founded?
1873
The Villanova post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.
2020 census: 8,213153 years
Founding year: the first Villanova post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Villanova’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Famous people
See all →8 famous people were born in Villanova
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Villanova in 1884
Passages that mention Villanova, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania1884Read the page →
Read the text
Villanova College.— In the upper part of our county (Delaware), in the township of Radnor, lie the extensive grounds known as Villanova College, belonging to the Catholic brotherhood of St. Augustine. These established themselves here, as a branch of the parent house in Philadelphia, in 1842. Having purchased the estate belonging to the deceased Mr.
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
Villanova, 1850 to 1989
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1850
In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Delaware County - ED 23-14… - 1863
In the archiveMap of supplementary reconnaissance of the approaches to Philadelphia by the Lancaster Tu… - 1881
Born hereAlbert Eugene Gallatin is born here - 1892
In the archiveAdvert - Walnut Hill - 20th century
- 1900
In the archive1900 Maule's seed catalogue - 1910
Born hereCharles W. Thayer is born here - 1973
Born hereNeal Brennan is born here - 1989
Born hereColby Cohen is born here
By decade
Villanova, decade by decade
4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1850s–1900s6 items
1850![Red Rose Inn, Villa Nova [sic], Pa](https://images.townratings.com/story/45231/6bc094dcac47ef39d43a-s.jpg)
19081910s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your albumThen & 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 Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Delaware County - ED 23-144, ED 23-145, ED 23-146, 1850
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Villanova’s page.
Retake this view · +15Help out
Finish Villanova’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Villanova’s history
What year was Villanova founded?
The Villanova post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people 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.