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A−History
History · Bridgeville

Bridgeville’s post office opened in 1822, and 5 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns · #8 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it

Most of Bridgeville was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 166 buildings. Below: 24 old photos and papers, maps from 1912 on, and the census since 1860.

1822first post office
5on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
24old photos & papers
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Bridgeville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Bridgeville began

When was Bridgeville founded?

1822

The Bridgeville post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Bridge Branch (1804), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 250 in 18602020 census: 2,568204 years

How historic is Bridgeville?

A−

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

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

What drives Bridgeville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bridgeville is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #8 of 37 in Delaware. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bridgeville’s overall grade.
Founding era1822, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19409.1% of homes (±4.8) · typical DE town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register5 listings, 170 historic buildings, 619 per 10,000 residents · typical DE town 29.4 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 81%
NewerOlder
Delaware towns of 2,500+ (37)Ahead of 81%

Delaware towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Delaware town has 29.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bridgeville’s 619 sits above most of its state (85% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 170 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 Bridgeville’s past

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

A historic districtThe Bridgeville Historic District takes in 166 historic buildings.A town in old photos24 old photos, postcards and papers, 1910–1940.On the map since 19155 editions of the USGS map, 1915 to 1992. Watch Bridgeville change.Deep rootsA post office since 1822: 204 years of Bridgeville.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

5 listings protect 170 historic buildings

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

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
170
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Sudler House
Sudler HouseOld Bridgeville Fire HouseBridgeville Historic DistrictBridgeville Public Library
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Vernacular1
Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals1
Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements1
Late Victorian1
Colonial Vernacular1
Federal1
Sudler HouseVernacular
Old Bridgeville Fire HouseBuilding
Bridgeville Historic DistrictLate 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals
All 5 listings
Ricards House-Linden HallBuilding · listed 1982Bridgeville Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1990

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

By decade

Bridgeville, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1930s14 items
A group of berry pickers at Newton's Farm, Bridgeville, Del. 2 Children are 7 years of age. 2 Children are 8 years of a…1910A group of berry pickers at Newton's Farm, Bridgevill…A group of berry pickers at Newton's Farm1910A group of berry pickers at Newton's Farm2 boys at the filling machine in Cannon's Cannery19102 boys at the filling machine in Cannon's CanneryHABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 1 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 1 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudl…HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 1 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 1 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudl…HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 2 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 2 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudl…HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 2 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 2 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudl…HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 3 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 3 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudl…HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 3 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 3 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudl…HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 4 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 4 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudl…HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 4 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 4 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudl…HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 5 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 5 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudl…HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 5 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933HABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 5 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudl…WEST FRONT - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street1933WEST FRONT - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Str…
1940s10 items
The barbed-wire enclosed camp for migratory workers at the C1940The barbed-wire enclosed camp for migratory workers a…The barbed-wire enclosed camp for migratory workers at the Cannon Company of1940The barbed-wire enclosed camp for migratory workers a…Stoves for migratory agricultural workers at Bridgeville, Delaware1940Stoves for migratory agricultural workers at Bridgevi…Two-story structure for housing migratory workers at Bridgeville, Delaware1940Two-story structure for housing migratory workers at …Interior of barracks for migratory workers picking apples at Bridgeville, Delaware1940Interior of barracks for migratory workers picking ap…Interior of barracks for migratory workers picking apples at Bridgeville, Delaware1940Interior of barracks for migratory workers picking ap…Housing for migratory agricultural workers at apple-producing farm near Bridgeville, Delaware1940Housing for migratory agricultural workers at apple-p…Houses for migratory agricultural workers at the Cannon Canning Company of Bridgeville, Delaware1940Houses for migratory agricultural workers at the Cann…Migratory agricultural workers during the apple season at a camp near Bridgeville, Delaware1940Migratory agricultural workers during the apple seaso…Camp of migratory agricultural workers during the apple picking season at Bridgeville, Delaware1940Camp of migratory agricultural workers during the app…
1950s–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
On the map

Bridgeville on the map, 1915 to 1992

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

Bridgeville on the 1915 USGS mapBridgeville on the 1944 USGS mapBridgeville on the 1955 USGS mapBridgeville on the 1983 USGS mapBridgeville on the 1992 USGS map1915Seaford 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 Bridgeville.

The story

How Bridgeville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bridgeville.

Read it all →

The town of Bridgeville is the oldest community in western Sussex County. Records of land transactions which were made in the first quarter of the 18th century suggest that a significant agricultural community already existed in the area by that period. A small group of houses had been built along the present Main Street by the turn of the 19th century; this settlement was known as "Bridge Branch" for the nearby stream, which was crossed by a bridge as early as 1730. By 1804, the community had grown sufficiently to merit the establishment of a post office.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bridgeville, 1788 to 1940

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1788Born hereCharles Polk Jr. is born here
  3. 19th century
  4. 1804Post officeThe Bridge Branch post office opens
  5. 1809Born hereWilliam Cannon is born here
  6. 1811Born hereTrusten Polk is born here
  7. 1822Post officeThe Bridge Branch post office closes
  8. 1822Post officeThe Bridgeville post office opens
  9. 1869Born hereEdward Willis Redfield is born here
  10. 20th century
  11. 1910In the archiveA group of berry pickers at Newton's Farm, Bridgeville, Del. 2 Children are 7 years of ag…
  12. 1915On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1933In the archiveHABS DEL,3-BRIVI,1- (sheet 1 of 5) - Dr. John R. Sudler House, North Main Street
  14. 1940In the archiveThe barbed-wire enclosed camp for migratory workers at the C
Every building

Bridgeville, building by building, 1912

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.

Bridgeville fire insurance map, 1912, sheet 11912Sheet 1 of 4
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.

A group of berry pickers at Newton's Farm, Bridgeville, Del. 2 Children are 7 years of age. 2 Children are 8 years of a…
Retake this viewA group of berry pickers at Newton's Farm, Bridgeville, Del. 2 Children are 7 years of age. 2 Children are 8 years of a…, 1910

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Bridgeville, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001900195020002,568

Grew from 250 people in 1860 to 2,568 in 2020, more than tenfold.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Bridgeville

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

See all →
Trusten PolkConfederate Army officer and politician · b. 1811
Charles Polk Jr.American politician · b. 1788
Edward Willis RedfieldAmerican artist · b. 1869
W
William CannonAmerican politician, Delaware · b. 1809
Peter F. CauseyAmerican politician · b. 1801
T
Thurman Adams, Jr.Senator of Delaware, United States · b. 1928
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Bridgeville’s post office has been open since 1822. Another post office, Bridge Branch, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bridge Branch
1804–1822
Bridgeville
1822–today
18001910today

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

Help out

Finish Bridgeville’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewA group of berry pickers at Newton's Fa…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Bridgeville’s history

What year was Bridgeville founded?

The Bridgeville post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Bridgeville rank for history?

Bridgeville is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #8 of 37 in Delaware. 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 Bridgeville?

5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Sudler House (listed 1974, the first), and 1 historic district, the Bridgeville Historic District, with 166 contributing buildings. 170 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Bridgeville?

9% of Bridgeville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 2003.

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 (14), the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.