Cheswold dates to 1856, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 39% of U.S. towns · #25 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it
Most of Cheswold was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2010. Its Register listings are the Hoffecker-Lockwood House and the Delaplane McDaniel House. Below: maps from 1930 on and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cheswold’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cheswold is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #25 of 37 in Delaware. 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 Cheswold’s overall grade.
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 Cheswold’s 37.3 sits near the middle of its state (60% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1856.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points).
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 Cheswold’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was incorporated in 1856 following the construction of the Delaware Railroad. When the town was founded, the population consisted of Lenape, blacks, and whites; the latter were mainly of Dutch descent. Given intermarriage among the workers over time, some residents were multiracial people. They were referred to as Cheswold Moors. The town was home to a railroad station called Leipsic Station, named for the nearby town of Leipsic, and the ancestral German city of Leipzig of some colonists.
The community became a shipping point for grain and fruit that was grown in the area. By 1860, the town had 35 homes, three general stores, a wheelwright, a brickyard, and a grain warehouse.
In 1856, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Cheswold’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1890 counted 129 people here.
How does Cheswold rank for history?
Cheswold is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #25 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 Cheswold?
Two places: the Hoffecker-Lockwood House (listed 1983) and the Delaplane McDaniel House (1983).
How old are the homes in Cheswold?
3% of Cheswold’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 2010.
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 (2), 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) 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.
