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History · Willow Street

Willow Street’s post office opened in 1840, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Willow Street was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1912 on, and old-book passages.

1840first post office
2on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Willow Street’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Willow Street began

When was Willow Street founded?

1840

The Willow Street post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 9,149186 years
Founding year: the first Willow Street post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Willow Street’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19126 editions of the USGS map, 1912 to 1990. Watch Willow Street change.Deep rootsA post office since 1840: 186 years of Willow Street.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Willow Street’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Willow Street’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewHans Herr House, 1851 Hans Herr Drive, …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Willow Street on the map, 1912 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Willow Street. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Willow Street on the 1912 USGS mapWillow Street on the 1943 USGS mapWillow Street on the 1955 USGS mapWillow Street on the 1969 USGS mapWillow Street on the 1976 USGS mapWillow Street on the 1990 USGS map1912Mc Calls Ferry 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 Willow Street.

The story so far

Willow Street, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Willow Street yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Its first post office opened in 1840. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 7,578 to 9,149 (+21%).

From the old history books

What they wrote about Willow Street in 1883

Passages that mention Willow Street, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The village of Lampeter has a population of 191 inhabitants, and the village of Willow Street 182. These villages, particularly in the summer time, wear an inviting appearance.
History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania1883Read the page →
Read the text

The village of Lampeter has a population of 191 inhabitants, and the village of Willow Street 182. These villages, particularly in the summer time, wear an inviting appearance.

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

Willow Street, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Hans Herr House, 1851 Hans Herr Drive, West Lampeter TownshipDate?Hans Herr House, 1851 Hans Herr Drive, West Lampeter …
Today4 recent
US 222 nb-PA 741 wb in Willow Street, Feb. 20262026US 222 nb-PA 741 wb in Willow Street, Feb. 2026PA 272 nb in Willow Street (2), Jan. 20252025PA 272 nb in Willow Street (2), Jan. 2025PA 272 nb in Willow Street (1), Jan. 20252025PA 272 nb in Willow Street (1), Jan. 2025Willow Street LanCo PA Fire Co2015Willow Street LanCo PA Fire Co
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Hans Herr House, 1851 Hans Herr Drive, West Lampeter Township
Retake this viewHans Herr House, 1851 Hans Herr Drive, West Lampeter Township

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Willow Street’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Willow Street

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
6
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

West Lampeter Township4 historic placesB+LampeterIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPequea Township1 historic placeBLancaster57 historic placesA+

Questions about Willow Street’s history

What year was Willow Street founded?

The Willow Street post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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 Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.