The story
Read it all →How West Middletown came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of West Middletown.
The West Middletown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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History · West Middletown
West Middletown dates to 1795, and 70% of its homes were built before 1940
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 48 buildings. Below: maps from 1907 on and the census since 1840.
1795founded
1on the National Register
70%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Quick answers
How West Middletown began
When was West Middletown founded?
1795
West Middletown dates its founding to 1795 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1840.
First census: 260 in 18402020 census: 109231 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1801.The full story ↓
What stands out about West Middletown’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 West Middletown are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe West Middletown Historic District takes in 48 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of West Middletown’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 346 in 1870; 109 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start West Middletown’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how West Middletown’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the National Register
1 listing protects 48 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
48
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
West Middletown Historic District
Districts
Architectural styles listings
Vernacular1
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
From the old history books
What they wrote about West Middletown in 1882
Passages that mention West Middletown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Washington County, Pennsylvania1882 · page 816Read the page →
Read the text
George W. Richie, Blarch 25, 1878, West Middletown Borough. — West Middletown is situated within the boundaries of the township of Hopewell, in its northwestern part, on the dividing ridge between the waters of Buffalo and Cross Creeks, and on the main road leading to Washington borough, which road forms the main street of the town. The borough of West Middletown now contains four
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Washington County, Pennsylvania1882 · page 831Read the page →
Read the text
David Thompson. Some ten or twelve years before he had emigrated from Ireland, and, traveling alone, found his way to the village of West Middletown, where he had some relatives residing. Possessed of a burning desire to obtain a liberal education, with the gospel ministry in view, and being without means of his own, and without friends on whom he could draw for help, he set himself to work, and by labor-
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
West Middletown, 1795 to 1907
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 18th century
- 1795FoundingWest Middletown is established
- 19th century
- 1801Post officeThe West Middletown post office opens
- 1814
Born hereObadiah B. McFadden is born here - 1868Born hereFrank Boyd is born here
- 1870CensusPopulation peaks at 346
- 1896Born hereElva Lawton is born here
- 20th century
- 1907
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your albumOn the map
West Middletown on the map, 1907 to 1973
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Middletown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1907Claysville sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of West Middletown.
People over time
West Middletown, census by census
Peaked at 346 in 1870; 109 people lived here in 2020.
19 censuses, 1840–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on West Middletown’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →3 famous people were born in West Middletown
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Questions about West Middletown’s history
What year was West Middletown founded?
In 1795, according to Wikidata. West Middletown’s post office opened in 1801, and the census of 1840 counted 260 people here.
What is on the National Register in West Middletown?
One place: the West Middletown Historic District (listed 1985).
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 Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 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.