Most of Aberdeen Proving Ground was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1918 on.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Aberdeen Proving Ground’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Aberdeen Proving Ground is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Aberdeen Proving Ground’s overall grade.
Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Aberdeen Proving Ground’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (20% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1917.
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 →
The story
How Aberdeen Proving Ground came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Aberdeen Proving Ground.
Aberdeen Proving Ground is the U.S. Army's oldest active proving ground, established on October 20, 1917—six months after the U.S. entered World War I. The planning and construction were overseen by Brigadier General Colden Ruggles, who later served as the Army's Chief of Ordnance. Its location allowed for design and testing of ordnance materiel to take place near contemporary industrial and shipping centers. The proving ground was created as a successor to the Sandy Hook Proving Ground, which was too small for some of the larger weapons being tested.
At the peak of World War II, the Aberdeen Proving Ground had billeting space for 24,189 enlisted personnel and 2,348 officers.
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.
In 1917, according to Wikidata. Aberdeen Proving Ground’s post office opened in 1884.
How does Aberdeen Proving Ground rank for history?
Aberdeen Proving Ground is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Aberdeen Proving Ground?
4% of Aberdeen Proving Ground’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
1918
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