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C+History
History · Morgan Hill

Morgan Hill’s post office opened in 1893, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #219 of 847 in California. What drives it

Most of Morgan Hill was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 7 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1910.

1893first post office
3on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Morgan Hill’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Morgan Hill began

When was Morgan Hill founded?

1893

The Morgan Hill post office opened in 1893, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1906. Two smaller post offices, Tennant (1871) and Madrone (1882), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 607 in 19102020 census: 45,483133 years

How historic is Morgan Hill?

C+

More historic than 40% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Morgan Hill post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1906.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Morgan Hill’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Morgan Hill is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #219 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Morgan Hill’s overall grade.
Founding era1893, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19401.5% of homes (±0.9) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register3 listings, 10 historic buildings, 2.2 per 10,000 residents · typical CA town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 40%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 74%

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 Morgan Hill’s 2.2 sits above most of its state (81% of California towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1906.

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 →

What stands out about Morgan Hill’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Morgan Hill, and 2 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19176 editions of the USGS map, 1917 to 1980. Watch Morgan Hill change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Morgan Hill’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDiana Helen Murphy (c. 1880's): stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Morgan Hill’s post office has been open since 1893. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Tennant
1871–1887
Madrone
1882–1959
Morgan Hill
1893–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
MadroneTennant
Gone or out of use
Burnett Elementary SchoolschoolSaint Louise Health Centerhospital
1cemetery inside Morgan Hill
Mount Hope

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the map

Morgan Hill on the map, 1917 to 1980

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

Morgan Hill on the 1917 USGS mapMorgan Hill on the 1939 USGS mapMorgan Hill on the 1955 USGS mapMorgan Hill on the 1968 USGS mapMorgan Hill on the 1973 USGS mapMorgan Hill on the 1980 USGS map1917Morgan Hill 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 Morgan Hill.

The story

How Morgan Hill came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Morgan Hill.

Read it all →

Prior to the arrival of Spanish colonists, Santa Clara Valley had been inhabited by the Tamien nation of Ohlone people for more than 6,000 years. In that area, the Matalan tribe lived in a hunter-gatherer society.

Before the area was colonized as part of the Alta California province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, the 1772 Spanish expedition led by Pedro Fages and Father Juan Crespí, the two explorers camped in the area around Morgan Hill alongside Llagas Creek. The location of their camp subsequently became a campsite for Spanish soldiers on their way from New Spain to Alta California. With the founding of Mission Santa Clara de Asís in 1777, the lands of present-day Morgan Hill were granted to the Roman Catholic Church.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Morgan Hill in 1922

Passages that mention Morgan Hill, cut from the printed page as they were published.

sue carried, this sum to be used for the construction of three additional buildings, making a fine group, and also for the purchase of ten acres in the town of Morgan Hill. The departments of chemistry. science, home economics and physical training are now well cared for. with modern equipment thro…
History of Santa Clara County California1922 · page 1318Read the page →
Read the text

sue carried, this sum to be used for the construction of three additional buildings, making a fine group, and also for the purchase of ten acres in the town of Morgan Hill. The departments of chemistry. science, home economics and physical training are now well cared for. with modern equipment throughout the entire courses, and the machine shop and woodworking department deserves special mention.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Morgan Hill ranch was subdivided in 1892, and the town was incorporated in 1906. The Bank of Morgan Hill was established in 1905. The town has one newspaper, the Times, which came into existence in 1892. For twelve years G. K. Estes was editor. He sold out to the present owner, H. \'. Pillow, i…
History of Santa Clara County California1922 · page 300Read the page →
Read the text

The Morgan Hill ranch was subdivided in 1892, and the town was incorporated in 1906. The Bank of Morgan Hill was established in 1905. The town has one newspaper, the Times, which came into existence in 1892. For twelve years G. K. Estes was editor. He sold out to the present owner, H. \'. Pillow, in 1918. Now there are several general merchan-

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Morgan Hill, 1871 to 1962

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Tennant post office opens
  3. 1880In the archiveDiana Helen Murphy (c. 1880's)
  4. 1882Post officeThe Madrone post office opens
  5. 1887Post officeThe Tennant post office closes
  6. 1893Post officeThe Morgan Hill post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1910In the archiveLooking East from Morgan Hill (ca 1910)
  9. 1917On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1959Post officeThe Madrone post office closes
  11. 1962Born hereScott Clark is born here
By decade

Morgan Hill, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1910s3 items
Diana Helen Murphy (c. 1880's)c. 1880Diana Helen Murphy (c. 1880's)Hiram Morgan Hill (c. 1880's)c. 1880Hiram Morgan Hill (c. 1880's)Looking East from Morgan Hill (ca 1910)c. 1910Looking East from Morgan Hill (ca 1910)
1920s–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
Today9 recent
West Hills Community Church2021West Hills Community ChurchWest Hills Community Church Cross2021West Hills Community Church CrossMorgan Hill Elementary School historic building2016Morgan Hill Elementary School historic buildingMorgan Hill XX century2013Morgan Hill XX centuryMorgan Hill School - 1930´s2013Morgan Hill School - 1930´sMorgan Hill 19th century2013Morgan Hill 19th centuryHo-Hum Motel--Morgan Hill, CA2011Ho-Hum Motel--Morgan Hill, CASkeels Hotel2011Skeels HotelMorgan Hill from Nob Hill, Santa Clara Valley, Cal2006Morgan Hill from Nob Hill, Santa Clara Valley, Cal
Every building

Morgan Hill, building by building, 1908

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 sheet.

Morgan Hill fire insurance map, 1908, sheet 11908Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

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

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.

Diana Helen Murphy (c. 1880's)
Retake this viewDiana Helen Murphy (c. 1880's), c. 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 listings protect 10 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
10
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Villa Mira Monte
Villa Mira MonteMalaguerra WineryRhoades Ranch
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Victorian Stick Style1
Villa Mira MonteVictorian Stick Style
Malaguerra WineryBuilding
Rhoades RanchDistrict

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

People over time

Morgan Hill, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00019201940196019802000202045,483

Grew from 607 people in 1910 to 45,483 in 2020, more than tenfold.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

San MartinIts storyC−San Jose35 historic placesA−

Questions about Morgan Hill’s history

What year was Morgan Hill founded?

The Morgan Hill post office opened in 1893, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1906.

How does Morgan Hill rank for history?

Morgan Hill is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #219 of 847 in California. 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 Morgan Hill?

Three places: the Villa Mira Monte (listed 1978), the Malaguerra Winery (1980) and the Rhoades Ranch (2013).

How old are the homes in Morgan Hill?

2% of Morgan Hill’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1990.

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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.