Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 98% of U.S. towns · #64 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 183 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1820.
Waynesburg dates its founding to 1796 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1820.
More historic than 98% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Waynesburg is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #64 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
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 Waynesburg’s 485 sits above most of its state (94% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 185 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1886Sheet 2 of 3Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Waynesburg. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Waynesburg.
From Wikipedia’s history of Waynesburg.
In 1796, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed legislation to create Greene County, dividing Washington County into two parts with the lower part becoming Greene County. Part of the legislation required a city to take the county seat for the section of land. They chose Waynesburg as the place for the county seat because it was in the center of the county.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Waynesburg, cut from the printed page as they were published.
by Bishop Peck and Dr. I. C. Pershing. The Legislature of Pennsylvania, by special act passed in 1845, incorporated the church under the name and style of "The Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Waynesburg," and under this charter the church and parsonage property is held. From 1803 to 1846 the Waynesburg appointment was a part of a circuit embracing about all of the central and southern part of the county, together with several appointments in the State of Virginia. In 1846 the Mt. Morris circuit of seven ap-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
" Waynesburg, July 10th, 1843, after sermon by Elder Samuel Williams, the Waynesburg Baptist church was organized in the usual manner by Elder Williams and James Woods, with the advice and assistance of bretliren from sister churches attending by invitation.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereArthur I. Boreman is born here
In the archiveWaynesburg PA BEye view 1897
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
In the archiveWaynesburg PA 1st Presby PHS633
Born hereBill George is born here
Born hereJosh Koscheck is born here2 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Waynesburg’s page.
Retake this view · +15Peaked at 5,514 in 1950; 4,006 people lived here in 2020.
21 censuses, 1820–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Waynesburg’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1796, according to Wikidata. Waynesburg’s post office opened in 1816, and the census of 1820 counted 298 people here.
Waynesburg is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #64 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.
Three places: the Miller Hall (listed 1978), the Hanna Hall (1979) and the Waynesburg Historic District (1984).
68% of Waynesburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.8 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1938.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
1897
1897
1897
2007