Beltsville’s post office opened in 1835, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns · #73 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of Beltsville was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Its Register listing is the Ammendale Normal Institute. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 2000.
The Beltsville post office opened in 1835, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Vansville (1804), Muirkirk (1865) and Ammendale (1889), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 15,690 in 20002020 census: 20,133191 years
How historic is Beltsville?
B
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Beltsville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Beltsville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Beltsville is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #73 of 261 in Maryland. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Beltsville’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 Beltsville’s 1.0 sits near the middle of its state (49% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% 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 (±2.1 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 Beltsville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Beltsville's history dates back to 1649, when the land was part of an 80,000-acre (324 km2) land grant given to Richard Snowden I by Lord Baltimore of England. Snowden and his family were planters who established large plantations on which they built comfortable manor homes. Soon after, other settlers moved into the area, but they were farmers who could only afford a few acres of land and whose families lived in small cabins. The principal crop was tobacco, most of which was shipped to England. Because of the fertile soil and desirable growing conditions, the crops prospered.
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 Beltsville post office opened in 1835, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Beltsville rank for history?
Beltsville is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #73 of 261 in Maryland. 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 Beltsville?
One place: the Ammendale Normal Institute (listed 1975).
How old are the homes in Beltsville?
4% of Beltsville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.1 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland 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 Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
1879
1917
1917
1917