A history of Mount Joy,
since 1812
Postcards, papers and photographs of Mount Joy from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story so far
from Wikipedia & the U.S. CensusMount Joy is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,346 at the 2020 census, and an estimated 8,323 in 2021.
Mount Joy was established in 1812. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 7,410 to 8,325 (+12%). Half of its homes were built before 1974.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Mount Joy yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Mount Joy’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Mount Joy, decade by decade
1990s
3 historic places in Mount Joy
3 places in Mount Joy are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 1973Central Hotel
Listed 1995Brown's, George, Sons Cotton and Woolen MillListed 1996Nissly Swiss Chocolate CompanyThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Lancaster County - Mount Joy - ED 36-125, ED 36-126, ED 36-127, … (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.