Denham Springs’ post office opened in 1898, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 54% of U.S. towns · #49 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Denham Springs was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 23 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1934 on, and the census since 1910.
From Denham Springs’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Denham Springs began
When was Denham Springs founded?
1898
The Denham Springs post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Hills Springs (1880), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 574 in 19102020 census: 9,286128 years
How historic is Denham Springs?
B−
More historic than 54% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Denham Springs post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Denham Springs’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Denham Springs is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #49 of 161 in Louisiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Denham Springs’ overall grade.
Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Denham Springs’ 26.8 sits above most of its state (77% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 25 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±7.7 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 Denham Springs’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The original land claims of John Noblet and Alexander Hogue form what is now the older section of Denham Springs, including the first residential and business districts. In 1828, William Denham, a Wilkinson County, Mississippi, native, married Mercy Hogue, the daughter of Alexander Hogue. Three months later he purchased the 640 acres (2.6 km2) originally claimed by his father-in-law. Denham purchased the land and a slave for $1,350.
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.
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.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Denham Springs. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1934Denham Springs 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 Denham Springs.
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.
Retake this view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Louisiana (LA) - Livingston Parish - Denham Springs - ED 32-3 to 4, 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Denham Springs’ page.
The Denham Springs post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Denham Springs rank for history?
Denham Springs is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #49 of 161 in Louisiana. 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 Denham Springs?
Three places: the Denham Springs City Hall (listed 1993), the Brown Hotel and Cafe (2015) and the Denham Springs Commercial Historic District (2018).
How old are the homes in Denham Springs?
8% of Denham Springs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.7 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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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