1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 362 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1811.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Williamsburg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Williamsburg is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Williamsburg’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 Williamsburg’s 3,374 sits above most of its state (100% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 362 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). Two sources give 1790.
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 Williamsburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Before the first settlers arrived in the vicinity of what was later called the Big Spring, this area was part of the hunting grounds of the Lenape and Shawnee. On July 6, 1754, a treaty was signed at Albany, New York between the Iroquois and the William Penn heirs, opening up portions of the west for settlement. However, British policy forbidding western expansion was in effect until after the American Revolution.
The massacre of Captain William Phillips' Rangers took place near Williamsburg in July 1780. Ten men were murdered after surrendering to a party of Indians.
Passages that mention Williamsburg, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania1911 · page 185Read the page →
Read the text
burg, and the other on Clover creek, near what was known as Red Ore bank. Jacob Ake, who was the owner of the land on which the village of Aketown, now Williamsburg, was laid out, seeing the necessity of educational training among the young, secured teachers and defrayed all expenses from his private purse. Mr. Ake visited village households,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania1911 · page 133Read the page →
Read the text
vania railroad company in 1873, interesting with the Martinsburg branch at Williamsburg junction, near Hollidaysburg, and extending to Williamsburg, fourteen miles from Hollidaysburg. At Franklin forge it intersected with the Springfield branch railroad, running via Wertz, Royer and Morrell, to iron ore mines, a distance of nine
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
Williamsburg, 1790 to 1940
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
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.
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.
In 1790, according to Wikidata. Williamsburg’s post office opened in 1811, and the census of 1820 counted 268 people here.
How does Williamsburg rank for history?
Williamsburg is more historic than 98% 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 Williamsburg?
One place: the Williamsburg Historic District (listed 1995).
How old are the homes in Williamsburg?
37% of Williamsburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1951.
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 (4), the Library of Congress (2), 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, 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.
1940
2012
2012
2012
