These 7 Pennsylvania Towns Have The Best Historic Districts

Founded as a colony in 1681, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania quickly became a cornerstone of early America. In the centuries since, the Quaker State has been many things, ranging from a Mid-Atlantic hub for commerce to a frontier gateway for settlers crossing the Appalachians. It also became the backdrop to the country’s first experiments in democracy and civil rights. While metropolises such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh refined the commonwealth's urban infrastructure, numerous boroughs and towns keep their original cores intact.

From campus greens at West Chester University to the historic foundations of Lincoln University, education and civic architecture often developed hand in hand, as did the coal mines, railroads, and industries that flourished in the surrounding towns. While the natural beauty of Pennsylvania, including access to the Great Lakes and nearby Niagara Falls, draws crowds, another satisfactory view of the Keystone State’s layered past commences on the streets of its historic districts.

Langhorne

Langhorne emerged around the same wagon-traced crossroads where early Quaker families once traded horses and news long before the American Revolution. The borough, along with neighboring Langhorne Manor, took its name from Jeremiah Langhorne, a provincial judge with large land holdings. Tacked together by local stone, hand-sawn timber, and a shared conscience, the town led to the foundation of a tight lattice of homes, taverns, and carriage stops by the early 18th century. The Langhorne Historical District still holds much of that fabric, its brickwork and clapboard displaying more than a century of upkeep.

The Langhorne Hotel is one of the more beloved and iconic historic landmarks in town. Built in 1704 and hosting guests ever since, the restaurant is known for its classic American comfort food and warm hospitality. Three blocks off, the Joseph Richardson House, a stop for stagecoaches and clandestine meetings in the 1740s, still keeps its corner lot near the borough line, now the Langhorne Community Memorial Building. Further out in Middletown Township, Core Creek Park and Lake Luxembourg stretch past the edge of the old district with trails for walking, biking, or horseback riding, as well as a boathouse with rentals and plenty of space for fishing.

Mercersburg

Mercersburg did not stumble into historical significance; it made its name through presidential ties, agricultural prosperity, and its role as an American Civil War sanctuary. Rolling Franklin County farmland gave natural rise to settlements, mills, and eventually railroad connections, spreading prosperity across a community founded in 1750. Before and during the Civil War, Mercersburg provided refuge to escaped slaves fleeing the South. This, as well as two and a half centuries of recorded history, is concentrated in the Mercersburg Historic District, where Federal, Greek Revival, and Colonial Revival facades line streets that once sheltered freedom seekers.

Among the district's most prominent structures stands Lane House, the birthplace of Harriet Lane, who served as America's first First Lady under her uncle, President James Buchanan. The 15th President’s own boyhood home now operates as the James Buchanan Hotel, a staple in the Historic District. The Victorian era left its architectural mark through numerous Colonial Revival homes, while the Irvine Chapel at the Mercersburg Academy continues to honor the community's educational legacy.

Jim Thorpe

Named in honor of the first Native American athlete to win an Olympic Gold Medal, the town of Jim Thorpe earned its reputation through decades of transformation. Nearly two centuries of recorded history began in the twin boroughs of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk in 1818. With the Pocono Mountains providing a dramatic backdrop, the region soon became a railroad hub. The Central Railroad of New Jersey Station, with its distinctive cylindrical tower, still stands intact alongside years of coal shipping prosperity that funded elegant architecture throughout the Old Mauch Chunk Historic District. Among the district's grandest structures rises the Italianate-style Asa Packer Mansion, while next door, his son's equally elegant Harry Packer Mansion served as inspiration for Disney's Haunted Mansion ride.

In the 1950s, the town took on a new identity when it was renamed Jim Thorpe, honoring the legendary Oklahoma athlete. This also marked the merging of two communities on opposite sides of the river. The Lehigh River connects the town to Carbon County’s historic section of the Lehigh Canal, while nearby natural treasures like Lehigh Gorge State Park and Glen Onoko Falls add to the area’s appeal. The town’s past is still visible at places like the Stabin Museum and the Old Jail Museum, housed in the former Carbon County Jail.

Danville

​Along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania's smallest county, Danville grew over centuries of Indigenous stewardship and colonial ambition. The Susquehannock people first inhabited this fertile valley, trading furs with Dutch and Swedish settlers before the region was colonized following the French and Indian War. Revolutionary War veteran William Montgomery acquired the land after the Treaty of Fort Stanwix and established the settlement as Montgomery's Landing, which would later be renamed Danville in 1792 to honor his son, Daniel. The Danville Historic District preserves the town's deep historical ties through more than 290 architectural properties spanning multiple eras.

Montgomery's own Federal-style stone residence, the General William Montgomery House, serves as both a museum and a monument to the town's founding family. Equally prominent stands the Thomas Beaver Free Library, its Queen Anne facade and sandstone structure paying tribute to philanthropist Thomas Beaver, who donated both library and YMCA facilities in 1888. The Susquehanna's meandering presence has sustained the community through agricultural prosperity and industrial growth. Surrounding woodlands and riverbanks, such as the F.Q. Hartman Recreation Area and Geisinger Trails, are among the many recreational spots in Danville that also offer refuge to migrating waterfowl.

Aspinwall

Pittsburgh's steel industry workers needed homes close to their jobs, and Aspinwall became the answer when Henry Warner, superintendent of the Allegheny County Workhouse, bought 155 acres from Annie Aspinwall in 1890 and formed the Aspinwall Land Company. By 1905, three development phases had filled the hillside with homes and tree-lined streets that still define the town today. The Sauer Buildings Historic District stands out as Pennsylvania's most unusual residential complex, built by architect Frederick Sauer, who transformed his wooded hillside into a fairy-tale landscape.

Sauer’s "Heidelberg" apartment house from the late 1920s, converted from a chicken coop, features whimsical turret towers and fantastical-style architectural details unlike anything else in the region. Keystones mark arched doorways throughout his eccentric buildings, where small towers and curved walls create a unique effect that draws visitors from across the region. Moreover, since its early days, Aspinwall has thrived as a recreational zone where tennis courts and river access bring families together. The Allegheny RiverTrail Park offers free public access to parkland and multi-use trails for a wide range of recreational opportunities.

Oxford

Oxford flourished during the Civil War era when railroads transformed the small settlement into a prosperous community known for its confectionery and candy businesses. The Oxford Hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a four-story Italianate brick structure opened in 1853, providing luxurious accommodations for travelers between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Now an appartment complex, the building immortalizes Oxford's prosperous past when it served as a crucial stagecoach stop.

The Oxford Historic District encompasses numerous contributing properties from the late 19th century, including Oxford Hall, the old Oxford Train Station, and several churches, such as the Oxford Presbyterian Church. Furthermore, the historical Oxford Town Clock was restored in 2001 and sits atop the Dickey Building, though there's more to the town than commerce and architecture. Lincoln University, the nation's first historically Black university, is located four miles northeast of Oxford, while Octoraro Lake lies to the northwest, providing a serene backdrop for nature walks and wildlife spotting, as well as boating and fishing.

West Chester

Part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area, West Chester maintains an independent identity rooted in abundant landmarks and its ties to academia. West Chester University is a defining feature of this Pennsylvania college town, with its old entrance leading to the West Chester State College Quadrangle Historic District. Here, the Philips Memorial Building honors the university's longtime leader, George Morris Philips. It stands beside the Old Library, both made of locally-sourced Chester County serpentine stone in the early 20th century. The campus traces its origins to 1871, when it was founded as a school for training teachers.

West Chester became Chester County's seat in 1784 when planners laid out a grid of 32 parcels around the first courthouse. The West Chester Downtown Historic District holds onto its commercial past with buildings like the Robert J. Thompson Post Office, built in neoclassical style. The six-story Farmers and Mechanics Building was the city's first skyscraper, completed in 1908 and decorated with terra-cotta details that still catch the eye. The old Warner Theater now operates as Hotel Warner, while the aviation history depicted at the American Helicopter Museum also contributes to West Chester’s cultural prominence, engaging tourists, students, and locals alike.

Pennsylvania Honors The Past

Pennsylvania’s imprint during the early colonial decades extended from coastal trade paths to the edge of the Great Lakes, tracing the full arc of settlement, displacement, and industrial momentum. Today, these places hold not only old buildings, but also generations of memory and craftsmanship carried forward into the present. Towns like Jim Thorpe helped define the Coal State’s industrial reach through canals and rail yards while cementing the legacy of an Olympian in a sleepy borough. Those like Mercersburg, on the other hand, supported abolitionist efforts tucked among ridgelines and rivers. No matter the theme or geographic location, these Pennsylvania historical districts honor their past with pride.