Lewiston’s post office opened in 1854, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 16 buildings. Most of Lewiston was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979.
How Lewiston began
When was Lewiston founded?
The Lewiston post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Lowden's Ranch (1874) and Fawn Lodge (1931), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
How historic is Lewiston?
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
What drives Lewiston’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lewiston is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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 Lewiston’s 79.2 sits above most of its state (98% of California towns have fewer) while its 16 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: the first post office (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 →
1 listing protects 16 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Architectural styles listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Lewiston’s post office has been open since 1854. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Lewiston’s history
What year was Lewiston founded?
The Lewiston post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Lewiston rank for history?
Lewiston is more historic than 45% 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 Lewiston?
One place: the Lewiston Historic District (listed 1989).
How old are the homes in Lewiston?
1% of Lewiston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1979.
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).
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.