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A+History
History · Ferndale

Ferndale dates to 1852, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it

7 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 41 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1880.

1852founded
7on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Ferndale’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Ferndale began

When was Ferndale founded?

1852

Ferndale dates its founding to 1852 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 178 in 18802020 census: 1,398174 years

How historic is Ferndale?

A+

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1862.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Ferndale’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ferndale is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs put Ferndale near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ferndale’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194034.7% of homes (±12.7) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register7 listings, 46 historic buildings, 296 per 10,000 residents · typical CA town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the top 1%
NewerOlder

Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ferndale’s 296 sits above most of its state (100% of California towns have fewer) while its 46 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±12.7 points). Two sources give 1852.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Ferndale’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Ferndale Main Street Historic District takes in 39 historic buildings.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1886 to 1909, drew every building in Ferndale.Landmarks on the Register7 places on the National Register.Old housesHalf of Ferndale’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

7 listings protect 46 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
46
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Rectory, Catholic Church of the Assumption
Rectory, Catholic Church of the AssumptionA. Berding House, built 1875Shaw HouseAlford-Nielson House, built 1874Andreasen, F. W.-John Rossen HouseFerndale Public Library, built 1910Ferndale Main Street Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne3
Eastlake1
Victorian Gothic1
Victorian Gothic Revival1
Mansard1
Classical Revival1
Rectory, Catholic Church of the AssumptionQueen Anne
A. Berding HouseVictorian Gothic · Built 1875
Shaw HouseVictorian Gothic Revival
Alford-Nielson HouseMansard · Built 1874
Andreasen, F. W.-John Rossen HouseQueen Anne
Ferndale Public LibraryClassical Revival · Built 1910
Ferndale Main Street Historic DistrictItalianate

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Every building

Ferndale, building by building, 1886–1909

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.

Ferndale fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 11886Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Ferndale came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ferndale.

Read it all →

Before American settlement, Ferndale was a glade of giant ferns reaching more than six feet (1.8 m), surrounded by alder, willow, Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, coast redwood, swampy land, and windswept prairies. The area was populated by the southern Wiyot people, and centered along the Eel River, where they caught lamprey eels, salmon and sturgeon in iris leaf fish nets and collected shellfish along the river and at its mouth, while cultivating a California species of tobacco.

The town was established in 1852 from settlement by Willard Allard, Seth Louis Shaw, and his brother, American portrait painter Stephen William Shaw. The settlement was incorporated in 1893.

ChaptersEarly settlersChinese settlementEuropean immigrationChinese expulsionsBusiness and communicationsIncorporation and services

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ferndale, 1852 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1852
    FoundingFerndale is established
  3. 1862Post officeThe Ferndale post office opens
  4. 1874BuiltAlford-Nielson House is built
  5. 1875BuiltA. Berding House is built
  6. 1883In the archiveFerndale from Cemetery 1883
  7. 1899Born hereFrank Ferguson is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1905Born hereLen Casanova is born here
  10. 1910BuiltFerndale Public Library is built
  11. 1923Born hereDonald H. Clausen is born here
  12. 1931Born hereEdward L. Wilson is born here
  13. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  14. 1980In the archiveFerndale, California
By decade

Ferndale, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s1 item
Ferndale from Cemetery 18831883Ferndale from Cemetery 1883
1890s–1970snothing 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
1980s3 items
Ferndale, California1980Ferndale, CaliforniaVictorian downtown of Ferndale, California1980Victorian downtown of Ferndale, CaliforniaAn antique car fits perfectly1980An antique car fits perfectly
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
Date unknown1 to date
Salt River Bridge, Spanning Salt River at Dillon RoadDate?Salt River Bridge, Spanning Salt River at Dillon Road
Today6 recent
Ferndale CA - KBHX-WSR 88D-NEXRAD Doppler weather radar2021Ferndale CA - KBHX-WSR 88D-NEXRAD Doppler weather rad…mypubliclandsroadtrip 2016- On the Way To, Lost Coast Headlands2016mypubliclandsroadtrip 2016- On the Way To, Lost Coast…Abraxas store in Victorian building2012Abraxas store in Victorian buildingDetail of Victorian architecture2012Detail of Victorian architectureVictorian Inn2012Victorian InnUnique public bench2012Unique public bench
On the map

Ferndale on the map, 1943 to 1972

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

Ferndale on the 1943 USGS mapFerndale on the 1959 USGS mapFerndale on the 1972 USGS map1943Ferndale 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 Ferndale.

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.

Ferndale from Cemetery 1883
Retake this viewFerndale from Cemetery 1883, 1883

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Ferndale, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,400188019001920194019601980200020201,398

Grew from 178 people in 1880 to 1,398 in 2020, 7 times over.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Ferndale

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Frank FergusonAmerican actor · b. 1899
Donald H. ClausenAmerican politician · b. 1923
E
Edward L. WilsonAmerican civil engineer · b. 1931
Len CasanovaAmerican football player and coach · b. 1905
S
Sam DunganAmerican baseball player · b. 1866
T
Thomas E. LeaveyAmerican businessman and philanthropist · b. 1897
Help out

Start Ferndale’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewFerndale from Cemetery 1883: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Ferndale’s history

What year was Ferndale founded?

In 1852, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ferndale’s post office opened in 1862, and the census of 1880 counted 178 people here.

How does Ferndale rank for history?

Ferndale is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. 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.

What is on the National Register in Ferndale?

7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Rectory, Catholic Church of the Assumption (listed 1982, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Andreasen, F. W.-John Rossen House and the Ferndale Main Street Historic District, with 41 contributing buildings. 46 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Ferndale?

35% of Ferndale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.7 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1953.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.