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B−History
History · Walnutport

Walnutport’s post office opened in 1882, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 52% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: old-book passages.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Walnutport began

When was Walnutport founded?

1882

The Walnutport post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1989.

2020 census: 2,067144 years

How historic is Walnutport?

B−

More historic than 52% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Walnutport post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1989.
History grade

What drives Walnutport’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Walnutport is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Walnutport’s overall grade.
Founding era1882, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194036.0% of homes (±12.5) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%ANational RegisterNo listings counted · typical PA town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 52%
NewerOlder

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 Walnutport’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±12.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1989.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Walnutport’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Walnutport are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Walnutport’s homes were built before 1962.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Walnutport’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Walnutport’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Walnutport, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Walnutport yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Walnutport is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It was first incorporated in 1909. The population of Walnutport was 1,918 at the 2022 census. Walnutport is located along the Lehigh River and is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 18088.

Its first post office opened in 1882. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,070 in 2010, 2,067 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Walnutport in 1920

Passages that mention Walnutport, cut from the printed page as they were published.

IVahmtport — The borough of Walnutport is located on the east bank of the Lehigh river, opposite the town of Slatington. Before incorporation it was a part of Lehigh township. The first election for borough officials was held in March, 1909. Samuel Griffith was the first burgess. The officers for 1…
History of Northampton County [Pennsylvania] and the grand valley of the Lehigh under supervision and revision of William J. Heller, assisted by an advisory board of editors..1920Read the page →
Read the text

IVahmtport — The borough of Walnutport is located on the east bank of the Lehigh river, opposite the town of Slatington. Before incorporation it was a part of Lehigh township. The first election for borough officials was held in March, 1909. Samuel Griffith was the first burgess. The officers for 1919 are : Burgess, Dr. J. J. Reitz ; treasurer, Granville Kahn ; secretary, C. J.

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

Walnutport, 1882 to 1983

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882Post officeThe Walnutport post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1933Born hereTed Wieand is born here
  5. 1983Born hereMeredith Marakovits is born here
By decade

Walnutport, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Lehigh Valley Free Presbyterian Church2015Lehigh Valley Free Presbyterian ChurchLehigh River in2015Lehigh River inLehigh Canal in Walnutport, PA 022015Lehigh Canal in Walnutport, PA 02Lehigh Canal in Walnutport, PA 012015Lehigh Canal in Walnutport, PA 01Diamond Fire Co, Walnutport PA 022015Diamond Fire Co, Walnutport PA 02Diamond Fire Co, Walnutport PA 012015Diamond Fire Co, Walnutport PA 01
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Walnutport

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Meredith MarakovitsSports reporter · b. 1983
T
Ted WieandAmerican baseball player · b. 1933
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Lehigh Township2 historic placesBSlatington3 historic placesA+Washington Township1 historic placeA−

Questions about Walnutport’s history

What year was Walnutport founded?

The Walnutport post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1989.

How does Walnutport rank for history?

Walnutport is more historic than 52% 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.

How old are the homes in Walnutport?

36% of Walnutport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.5 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1962.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.