On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wesleyville is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #433 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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 Wesleyville’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 Wesleyville’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 B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.1 points). Two sources give 1828.
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 Wesleyville’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 Wesleyville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1899Erie 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 Wesleyville.
The story so far
Wesleyville, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Wesleyville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Wesleyville is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,229 at the 2020 census, down from 3,341 in 2010. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Wesleyville was established in 1828. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,341 to 3,222 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Wesleyville, 1828 to 1943
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Passages that mention Wesleyville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Erie County, Pennsylvania1925 · page 1170Read the page →
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Switzer established his practice at Wesleyville. He is on the active surgical staff of Hamot Hospital and is New York Central railroad surgeon at Wesleyville.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Erie county, Pennsylvania1884 · page 719Read the page →
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There are a number of mills in the township, but the most important are the Cooper Grist, Saw and Cider Mill at Wesleyville, the Neeley Grist and Saw Mill at the mouth of Twelve Mile Creek, Dodge's handle, shingle and saw mill. Troop's basket factory and cider mill at Harbor Creek Station, and Cass' woolen mill on the headwaters of Six Mile Creek, in the southeastern section.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Erie county, Pennsylvania1884 · page 786Read the page →
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The main thoroughfares are the east road between North East and Wattsburg, and the middle road, through Colt's Station, between the same points; the Station road from Wesleyville to Mayville; and the road from Greene past the Methodist Episcopal Church and Greenfield Village to Findley's Lake. All of these were laid out on a straight line, but had to diverge in order to surmount the ridges. The township never had a plank road, and the nearest railroad station is at North East. The first marriage in the township was that of Joseph Shadduck to Betsy Willard, and the first child bom was their son Ira.
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.
By decade
Wesleyville, decade by decade
2 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
In 1828, according to Wikidata. Wesleyville’s post office opened in 1831, and the census of 1920 counted 1,457 people here.
How does Wesleyville rank for history?
Wesleyville is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #433 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.
How old are the homes in Wesleyville?
36% of Wesleyville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1949.
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 (9), 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 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.
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