What drives West Bethlehem Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Bethlehem Township is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Bethlehem 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 West Bethlehem Township’s 15.7 sits above most of its state (81% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.4 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 West Bethlehem 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
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Barry
1834–1835
Zollersville
1850–1860
Zollarsville
1860–1903
Marianna
1909–today
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
FairfieldOld Zollarsville
Gone or out of use
Moore Shaftmine
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside West Bethlehem Township
FranklinHorn Cemetery - EastSaint Nicholas
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
West Bethlehem Township on the map, 1901 to 1979
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Bethlehem Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Amity 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 West Bethlehem Township.
The story so far
West Bethlehem Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Bethlehem Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
West Bethlehem Township is a township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States established in 1781. In 1790, it was split into East and West Bethlehem Townships. The Martin's Mill Covered Bridge, Horn Davis Overholtzer Bridge, and Ulery Mill are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 22.2 square miles (57.5 km2), all of it land.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,460 to 1,291 (-12%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
West Bethlehem Township, 1834 to 1903
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
How does West Bethlehem Township rank for history?
West Bethlehem Township is more historic than 94% 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.
What is on the National Register in West Bethlehem Township?
Two places: the Ulery Mill (listed 1978) and the Davis, Horn, Overholtzer Bridge (1979).
How old are the homes in West Bethlehem Township?
42% of West Bethlehem Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1950.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
