Bethesda’s post office opened in 1888, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
Most of Bethesda was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Its Register listing is the Dr. Paul H. Jeffery House and Office. Its Register listing is the Dr. Paul H. Jeffery House and Office.
How Bethesda began
When was Bethesda founded?
The Bethesda post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name.
1 historic place in Bethesda
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Lost post offices and burying grounds
Bethesda had its own post office from 1888 to 1957.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Bethesda’s history
What year was Bethesda founded?
The Bethesda post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Bethesda?
One place: the Dr. Paul H. Jeffery House and Office (listed 2023).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.