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B−History
History · Glasgow

Glasgow’s post office opened in 1828, and 4 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #20 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it

Most of Glasgow was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 8 buildings. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 2000.

1828first post office
4on the National Register
0.9%homes built before 1940
7old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Glasgow’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Glasgow began

When was Glasgow founded?

1828

The Glasgow post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 12,840 in 20002020 census: 15,288198 years

How historic is Glasgow?

B−

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

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

What drives Glasgow’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Glasgow is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #20 of 37 in Delaware. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Glasgow’s overall grade.
Founding era1828, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19400.9% of homes (±0.8) · typical DE town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register4 listings, 20 historic buildings, 12.9 per 10,000 residents · typical DE town 29.4 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 50%
NewerOlder
Delaware towns of 2,500+ (37)Ahead of 47%

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 Glasgow’s 12.9 sits near the middle of its state (43% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 20 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% 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 (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. 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 Glasgow’s past

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

Lost villages9 hamlets and corners are still on the map.On the map since 19046 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1993. Watch Glasgow change.Deep rootsA post office since 1828: 198 years of Glasgow.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

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

Glasgow had its own post office from 1828 to 1912.

Glasgow
1828–1912
Bear
1888–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Belltown WoodsCaravel FarmsClay AcresHickory WoodsMarabou MeadowsMelody MeadowsMelody Meadows IIPorter SquareShelley Farms
Gone or out of use
Pencader Presbyterian Churchchurch
1cemetery inside Glasgow
Pencader

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

On the map

Glasgow on the map, 1904 to 1993

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

Glasgow on the 1904 USGS mapGlasgow on the 1919 USGS mapGlasgow on the 1953 USGS mapGlasgow on the 1970 USGS mapGlasgow on the 1985 USGS mapGlasgow on the 1993 USGS map1904Wilmington 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 Glasgow.

Timeline

Glasgow, 1828 to 1930

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1828Post officeThe Glasgow post office opens
  3. 1868Born hereRichard C. McMullen is born here
  4. 1888Post officeThe Bear post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900Born hereWebster McDonald is born here
  7. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1912Post officeThe Glasgow post office closes
  9. 1930In the archiveGlasgow Arms Restaurant and Colonial Dining Room on Route 40 between Elkton, Md. and New …
The story

How Glasgow came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Glasgow.

Read it all →

During the American Revolution, it was known as Aikentown, named after tavern owner Matthew Aiken. The town was renamed by Scottish settlers after the city in Scotland. La Grange and the James Stewart House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Glasgow, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s2 items
Glasgow Arms Restaurant and Colonial Dining Room on Route 40 between Elkton, Md. and New Castle Ferry, 10 miles south o…c. 1930Glasgow Arms Restaurant and Colonial Dining Room on R…Glasgow Arms Restaurant and Colonial Dining Room on Route 40 between Elkton, Md. and New Castle Ferry, Glasgow, Delawar…c. 1930Glasgow Arms Restaurant and Colonial Dining Room on R…
1940s–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
Date unknown5 to date
Historic American Buildings Survey W. S. Stewart, Photographer Sept. 14, 1936 SOUTH ELEVATION - Pencader Presbyterian C…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey W. S. Stewart, Pho…VIEW EAST SHOWING NORTHWEST AND SOUTHWEST ELEVATIONS Photographer and date unknown (c. 1982) - La Grange Granary, U.S. …Date?VIEW EAST SHOWING NORTHWEST AND SOUTHWEST ELEVATIONS …Bellvue Farm, Route 896Date?Bellvue Farm, Route 896Pencader Presbyterian Church, Route 896Date?Pencader Presbyterian Church, Route 896La Grange Granary, U.S. Route 40 near Route 896Date?La Grange Granary, U.S. Route 40 near Route 896
Today17 recent
US 40 wb approaching DE Route 896 0.5 mile, May 20232023US 40 wb approaching DE Route 896 0.5 mile, May 20232022-07-20 12 03 17 View west along U.S. Route 40 (Pulaski Highway) just east of Delaware State Route 896 (South Colleg…20222022-07-20 12 03 17 View west along U.S. Route 40 (Pu…2022-07-19 18 21 11 View east along U.S. Route 40 (Pulaski Highway) just west of Delaware State Route 896 (South Colleg…20222022-07-19 18 21 11 View east along U.S. Route 40 (Pu…2022-07-19 18 17 57 View east along U.S. Route 40 (Pulaski Highway) just west of Delaware State Route 896 Business (Gla…20222022-07-19 18 17 57 View east along U.S. Route 40 (Pu…2022-07-19 16 19 32 View south along Delaware State Route 896 (South College Avenue) just north of U.S. Route 40 (Pulas…20222022-07-19 16 19 32 View south along Delaware State R…2022-07-19 13 39 21 View north along Delaware State Route 896 (South College Avenue) just north of U.S. Route 40 (Pulas…20222022-07-19 13 39 21 View north along Delaware State R…2022-07-19 13 38 06 View north along Delaware State Route 896 (Summit Bridge Road) just south of U.S. Route 40 (Pulaski…20222022-07-19 13 38 06 View north along Delaware State R…US 40 WB past DE 722021US 40 WB past DE 72DE 72 NB past US 402021DE 72 NB past US 402021-08-16 16 02 44 View east along Old Baltimore Pike just after entering Glasgow, New Castle County, Delaware from Ir…20212021-08-16 16 02 44 View east along Old Baltimore Pik…2021-08-16 15 31 25 View east along U.S. Route 40 (Pulaski Highway) entering Glasgow, New Castle County, Delaware from …20212021-08-16 15 31 25 View east along U.S. Route 40 (Pu…US 40 WB approaching US 301-DE 8962018US 40 WB approaching US 301-DE 896DE 896 NB past US 402018DE 896 NB past US 40La Grange Glasgow DE12010La Grange Glasgow DE1DE 896 northbound past US 40-US 3012009DE 896 northbound past US 40-US 301US 40 EB approaching DE 722008US 40 EB approaching DE 72Do Not Enter2008Do Not Enter
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.

Glasgow Arms Restaurant and Colonial Dining Room on Route 40 between Elkton, Md. and New Castle Ferry, 10 miles south o…
Retake this viewGlasgow Arms Restaurant and Colonial Dining Room on Route 40 between Elkton, Md. and New Castle Ferry, 10 miles south o…, c. 1930

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

4 listings protect 20 historic buildings

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

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
20
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
La Grange
La GrangeNew Castle and Frenchtown Railroad Right-of-WayAiken's Tavern Historic DistrictJames Stewart House
BuildingsDistrictsSites

Architectural styles listings

Federal2
Italianate1
La GrangeFederal
New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad Right-of-WaySite
Aiken's Tavern Historic DistrictFederal
James Stewart HouseBuilding

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

People over time

Glasgow, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00020002020Peak: 15,288

Between 12,840 and 15,288 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Glasgow

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

See all →
R
Richard C. McMullenAmerican politician · b. 1868
W
Webster McDonaldNegro League Baseball player · b. 1900
Help out

Start Glasgow’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo5 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewGlasgow Arms Restaurant and Colonial Di…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Glasgow’s history

What year was Glasgow founded?

The Glasgow post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Glasgow rank for history?

Glasgow is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #20 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 Glasgow?

4 listings: 2 buildings, among them the La Grange (listed 1974, the first), 1 historic district, the Aiken's Tavern Historic District, with 8 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 20 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Glasgow?

0.9% of Glasgow’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 1993.

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 (21), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.