Seaford’s post office opened in 1827, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 78% of U.S. towns · #12 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it
14 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 2 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: the first Seaford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Seaford’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Seaford is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #12 of 37 in Delaware. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Seaford’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 Seaford’s 20.0 sits near the middle of its state (51% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 17 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 B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.9 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 Seaford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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 year, then a sheet.
1885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the National Register
14 historic places in Seaford
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Seaford, Delaware, is named after Seaford, East Sussex, in England. The area has a rich history, with land that is now part of western and southern Sussex County originally settled as part of Maryland. Seaford was included in Dorchester County, Maryland, along with nearby towns like Bridgeville, Greenwood, and Middleford, while Blades, Laurel, and Concord belonged to neighboring Somerset County. An error in the delineation of boundary lines led to Delaware's east-west border being inaccurately established between Delmar and Fenwick rather than the intended location at Cape Henlopen. Had this original agreement been honored, Seaford would be situated in Maryland today. The definitive boundary was finally established by surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in 1763 after lengthy legal disputes in London.
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.
The Seaford post office opened in 1827, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Seaford rank for history?
Seaford is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #12 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 Seaford?
14 listings: 13 buildings, among them the Gov. William H. Ross House (listed 1977, the first), and 1 historic district, the Seaford Station Complex, with 2 contributing buildings. 17 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Seaford?
15% of Seaford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 Library of Congress (6), the National Register of Historic Places (14), 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.
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