More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #1,024 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of Wright Township was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 2000.
How Wright Township began, and where its name came from
When was Wright Township founded?
1866
The Wright Township post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Wright (1866) and Albert (1893), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 5,593 in 20002020 census: 5,722160 years
How did Wright Township get its name?
Wright Township was named in honor of Col. Hendrick B. Wright of Wilkes-Barre.
How historic is Wright Township?
D
More historic than 14% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wright Township is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #1,024 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wright Township’s overall grade.
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)#1,024 of 1,035
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 Wright Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Wright Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wright Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1891Wilkes-Barre 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 Wright Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Wright
1866–1868
Albert
1893–1909
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AlbertLindberghRippletownRitaWech Corners
1cemetery inside Wright Township
Albert
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Wright Township was formed from a piece of Hanover Township in 1851. It was named in honor of Col. Hendrick B. Wright of Wilkes-Barre. In 1798, Conrad Wickeiser was the first settler in the region. He was followed by James Wright, who established the first tavern and sawmill in the locality. Logging was one of the chief industries in the region at the time. Wickeiser and Wright settled in what is now Fairview Township (once part of Wright Township). In what is now Wright Township, the first settler was probably Cornelius Garrison in the 1830s. He erected a sawmill on Big Wapwallopen Creek in the southwestern portion of the township. It was one of the longest running mills in the community.
Passages that mention Wright Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Wilkes-Barré, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania1909 · page 139Read the page →
Read the text
Wright Township, formed in 1851, was so named to honor Colonel Hendrick B. Wright, of Plymouth, whose "Sketches of Plymouth," published in 1873, are so valuable a contribution to Luzerne County's historical records.
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
Wright Township, 1866 to 1909
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Wright Township post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Wright Township rank for history?
Wright Township is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #1,024 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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.
How old are the homes in Wright Township?
0.6% of Wright Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 Wikipedia, 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.
