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History · York Haven

York Haven’s post office opened in 1813, and 70% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1900.

1813first post office
0on the National Register
70%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From York Haven’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How York Haven began

When was York Haven founded?

1813

The York Haven post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1814.

First census: 824 in 19002020 census: 686213 years
Founding year: the first York Haven post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1814.

What stands out about York Haven’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of York Haven’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19086 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1990. Watch York Haven change.Deep rootsA post office since 1813: 213 years of York Haven.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start York Haven’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPennsylvania - Susquehanna River: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

York Haven, in brief

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

York Haven is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 691 at the 2020 census. It is part of the York–Hanover metropolitan area. The borough is the home of the Brunner Island coal-fired electrical generation plant, located on the Susquehanna River on Wago Road and operated by PPL Corporation.

Its first post office opened in 1813. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 709 to 686 (-3%).

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

On the map

York Haven on the map, 1908 to 1990

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

York Haven on the 1908 USGS mapYork Haven on the 1943 USGS mapYork Haven on the 1956 USGS mapYork Haven on the 1964 USGS mapYork Haven on the 1972 USGS mapYork Haven on the 1990 USGS map1908Middletown 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 York Haven.

From the old history books

What they wrote about York Haven in 1886

Passages that mention York Haven, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The Town of York Haven was laid out in 1814, when a neatly designed plan was prepared under the direction of the "York Haven Company." There were two sections: ihe '"upper towu" was located on the hill to the west of the present site of the railroad, and the "lower town" was down by the canal.
History of York County Pennsylvania From the Earliest Time to the Present1886 · page 638Read the page →
Read the text

The Town of York Haven was laid out in 1814, when a neatly designed plan was prepared under the direction of the "York Haven Company." There were two sections: ihe '"upper towu" was located on the hill to the west of the present site of the railroad, and the "lower town" was down by the canal.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Tlie Toicn of York Haven was laid out in 1814. when a neatly designed plan was prepared under the direction of the ''York Haven Company." There were two sections: the "upper town" was located on the hill to the west of the present site of the railroad, and the "lower town" was down by the canal.
History of York County, Pennsylvania1886 · page 638Read the page →
Read the text

Tlie Toicn of York Haven was laid out in 1814. when a neatly designed plan was prepared under the direction of the ''York Haven Company." There were two sections: the "upper town" was located on the hill to the west of the present site of the railroad, and the "lower town" was down by the canal.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
was completed to York Haven in 1812, and the large bridge over the Conewago Creek was built below York Haven the same year, by A. Miller. It was taken away by the flood of 1817, and rebuilt soon after by H.
History of York County, Pennsylvania1886 · page 639Read the page →
Read the text

was completed to York Haven in 1812, and the large bridge over the Conewago Creek was built below York Haven the same year, by A. Miller. It was taken away by the flood of 1817, and rebuilt soon after by H.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
■was completed to York Haven in 1812, and the large bridge over the Conewago Creek was built below York Haven the same year, by A. Miller. It was taken away by the flood of 1817, and rebuilt soon after by H.
History of York County Pennsylvania From the Earliest Time to the Present1886 · page 639Read the page →
Read the text

■was completed to York Haven in 1812, and the large bridge over the Conewago Creek was built below York Haven the same year, by A. Miller. It was taken away by the flood of 1817, and rebuilt soon after by H.

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

York Haven, 1813 to 1917

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1813Post officeThe York Haven post office opens
  3. 1814In the archive1814 Plan of the town of York Haven, by the Conewago Canal Company, from the New York Pub…
  4. 20th century
  5. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1917In the archivePennsylvania - Susquehanna River
By decade

York Haven, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1810s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1810s1 item
1814 Plan of the town of York Haven, by the Conewago Canal Company, from the New York Public Library - 90296b0f-dd39-af…18141814 Plan of the town of York Haven, by the Conewago …Map
1910s1 item
Pennsylvania - Susquehanna River1917Pennsylvania - Susquehanna River
1920s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Pennsylvania State Route 1812009Pennsylvania State Route 181Pennsylvania State Route 1812009Pennsylvania State Route 181Pennsylvania State Route 1812009Pennsylvania State Route 181Pennsylvania State Route 1812009Pennsylvania State Route 181
Every building

York Haven, building by building, 1908–1913

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.

York Haven fire insurance map, 1908, sheet 11908Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

Pennsylvania - Susquehanna River
Retake this viewPennsylvania - Susquehanna River, 1917

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

York Haven, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 824

Between 671 and 824 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to York Haven

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

See all →
Don KeeferAmerican actor · b. 1916
Simon CameronAmerican businessman and politician · b. 1799
Tarleton Hoffman BeanAmerican ichthyologist · b. 1846
Greg GrossAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1952
K
Kenneth BrandtAmerican politician · b. 1938
C
Clarence Edward MathiasUnited States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recip… · b. 1876
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Newberry Township2 historic placesB−Conoy Township1 historic placeA−East Manchester Township2 historic placesA−

Questions about York Haven’s history

What year was York Haven founded?

The York Haven post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1814.

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 (6), 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.