Millsboro’s post office opened in 1809, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 49% of U.S. towns · #22 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it
Most of Millsboro was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2012. Below: maps from 1917 on and the census since 1970.
The Millsboro post office opened in 1809, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Washington (1840), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,073 in 19702020 census: 6,863217 years
How historic is Millsboro?
B−
More historic than 49% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Millsboro post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Millsboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Millsboro is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #22 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 Millsboro’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 Millsboro’s 10.8 sits near the middle of its state (40% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% 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 (±1.3 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 Millsboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Millsboro's earliest European settlers were of English family origin; though most were second generation colonists who simply migrated north from the eastern shore of Virginia in order to join in the timber drive of the later 17th century, which brought many seeking to cut the vast mixed deciduous forests. The settlement itself was created in the second half of the 17th century when settlers from Accomack County, Virginia arrived to cut timber along the drainages. At one time no less than seven lumber mills were present, the largest employing over 70 laborers. These early years are well documented in the annals of Virginia history. The township during the first settlement period, although unincorporated, had several stores, churches, a bakery and various tack and blacksmith shops as well as and both Anglican and Presbyterian congregations. The area has many cemeteries dating from this o…
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Millsboro’s post office has been open since 1809. Another post office, Washington, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Millsboro
1809–today
Washington
1840–1841
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Oak DriveOld Landing
1cemetery inside Millsboro
Order United American Men
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Millsboro’s history
What year was Millsboro founded?
The Millsboro post office opened in 1809, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Millsboro rank for history?
Millsboro is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #22 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 Millsboro?
5 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Warren's Mill (listed 1978, the first). 8 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Millsboro?
1% of Millsboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 2012.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), 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) 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.
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