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History · Woodlyn

Woodlyn’s post office opened in 1892, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 2000.

1892first post office
0on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Woodlyn began

When was Woodlyn founded?

1892

The Woodlyn post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 10,036 in 20002020 census: 9,685134 years
Founding year: the first Woodlyn post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Woodlyn’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 Woodlyn are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18945 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1994. Watch Woodlyn change.Old housesHalf of Woodlyn’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Woodlyn’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Woodlyn on the map, 1894 to 1994

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

Woodlyn on the 1894 USGS mapWoodlyn on the 1942 USGS mapWoodlyn on the 1956 USGS mapWoodlyn on the 1967 USGS mapWoodlyn on the 1994 USGS map1894Chester 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 Woodlyn.

The story so far

Woodlyn, in brief

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

Woodlyn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,485 at the 2010 census, down from 10,036 at the 2000 census. It is a part of Ridley Township, and children residing within the community generally attend schools in the Ridley School District. Woodlyn is served by the Woodlyn Fire Co. for fire, rescue and EMS services.

Its first post office opened in 1892. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 9,485 to 9,685 (+2%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

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 album
People over time

Woodlyn, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00020002020Peak: 10,036

Between 9,485 and 10,036 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Woodlyn’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Woodlyn

Nobody well known was born in Woodlyn itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Ethel WatersAmerican blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and ac… · b. 1896
Jameer NelsonAmerican basketball player · b. 1982
John BillingsleyAmerican actor · b. 1960
A
Alex NorthAmerican composer · b. 1910
A
Auston TrustyAmerican soccer player · b. 1998
Daniel M. TaniAmerican astronaut · b. 1961
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Ridley TownshipIts storyCNether Providence Township3 historic placesA−Chester8 historic placesA+Ridley ParkIts storyC+FolsomIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEddystoneIts storyB−Springfield TownshipIts storyBSwarthmore3 historic placesA−

Questions about Woodlyn’s history

What year was Woodlyn founded?

The Woodlyn post office opened in 1892, 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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.