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B+History
History · Felton

Felton dates to 1861, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 68% of U.S. towns. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 162 buildings. Below: maps from 1919 on and the census since 1870.

1861founded
2on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Felton began

When was Felton founded?

1861

Felton dates its founding to 1861 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 437 in 18702020 census: 1,316165 years

How historic is Felton?

B+

More historic than 68% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Felton’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Felton is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Felton’s overall grade.
Founding era1861, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194012.3% of homes (±6.9) · typical DE town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register2 listings, 163 historic buildings, 1,260 per 10,000 residents · typical DE town 29.4 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 68%
NewerOlder

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 Felton’s 1,260 sits above most of its state (92% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 163 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 C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.9 points). Two sources give 1861.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Felton’s past

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

A historic districtThe Felton Historic District takes in 162 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Felton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1920 and 1960, then grew 3-fold.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

2 listings protect 163 historic buildings

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
163
each building in a district counts
first listed
1981
Felton Railroad Station
Felton Railroad StationFelton Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Italianate2
Delaware Vernacular1
Mid-19th Century1
Late Victorian1
Queen Anne1
Greek Revival1
Felton Railroad StationItalianate
Felton Historic DistrictDelaware Vernacular

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

Help out

Start Felton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Felton, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,40018801900192019401960198020002020771 in 1920Low: 423

Lost half of its people between 1920 and 1960, then grew 3-fold.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

The story

How Felton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Felton.

Read it all →

Established in 1856 as a whistle stop along the Delaware Railroad, Felton was named after Samuel M. Felton Sr., then-president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. As president, he was responsible for developing the Railroad in Delaware's rural areas, and by extension, the town's existence. Felton was incorporated on February 2, 1861, and passenger rail service would continue to the town until the early 1950s.

The Coombe Historic District, Thomas B. Coursey House, Felton Historic District, Felton Railroad Station, and Hughes Early Man Sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Felton, 1857 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1857Post officeThe Felton Station post office opens
  3. 1861
    FoundingFelton is established
  4. 1867Born hereJames H. Hughes is born here
  5. 1869Post officeThe Felton Station post office closes
  6. 1869Post officeThe Felton post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1956On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1993Born hereC. J. Faison is born here
  10. 21st century
  11. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 1,316
By decade

Felton, decade by decade

Today2 recent
THOMAS B. COURSEY HOUSE2017THOMAS B. COURSEY HOUSEDEMap-doton-Felton2004DEMap-doton-Felton
On the map

Felton on the map, 1956 to 1993

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

Felton on the 1956 USGS mapFelton on the 1981 USGS mapFelton on the 1993 USGS map1956Wyoming sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Felton.

Every building

Felton, building by building, 1919

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.

Felton fire insurance map, 1919, sheet 11919Sheet 1 of 3
BrickWoodStone

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Felton

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

See all →
James H. HughesAmerican politician · b. 1867
C
C. J. FaisonAmerican stock car racing driver · b. 1993
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Felton’s post office has been open since 1869. Another post office, Felton Station, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Felton Station
1857–1869
Felton
1869–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Felton StationHidden Pond

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

Questions about Felton’s history

What year was Felton founded?

In 1861, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Felton’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1870 counted 437 people here.

How does Felton rank for history?

Felton is more historic than 68% 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 Felton?

Two places: the Felton Railroad Station (listed 1981) and the Felton Historic District (1988).

How old are the homes in Felton?

12% of Felton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 1998.

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 (2), Wikidata (1), 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), 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.