Freeport dates to 1830, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 51% of U.S. towns · #71 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Freeport was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2014. Its Register listing is the Herman Lodge No. 108 Free & Accepted Masons of Florida. Below: maps from 1970 on and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1871.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Freeport’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Freeport is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #71 of 638 in Florida. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Freeport’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Freeport’s 1.5 sits above most of its state (75% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1830.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size.
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 Freeport’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Freeport is said to have been established circa 1830. It was called Freeport due to an absence of fees to use the dock ('free port') at the junction of Four Mile Creek and Lafayette Creek.
Historically, the economy of Freeport was largely dependent on the local timber industry through sawmills and logging, as well as the processing of turpentine.
After the introduction of the railroad in Defuniak Springs, Freeport lost its position as the economic powerhouse in Walton County. Today it has a sizeable population of people who serve at Eglin AFB.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Freeport, census by census
Grew from 518 people in 1970 to 5,861 in 2020, more than tenfold.
6 censuses, 1970–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Freeport’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners
Freeport’s post office has been open since 1871.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bay View
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Freeport’s history
What year was Freeport founded?
In 1830, according to Wikidata. Freeport’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1970 counted 518 people here.
How does Freeport rank for history?
Freeport is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #71 of 638 in Florida. 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 Freeport?
One place: the Herman Lodge No. 108 Free & Accepted Masons of Florida (listed 2021).
How old are the homes in Freeport?
0.9% of Freeport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 2014.
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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.
2025