Centreville dates to 1794, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #21 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 363 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1785.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Centreville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Centreville is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #21 of 261 in Maryland. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Centreville’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 Centreville’s 788 sits above most of its state (94% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 375 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1794.
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 (±6.2 points).
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 Centreville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Centreville's name was derived from the relocation of the county seat in 1782 from Queenstown to a more central part of the county.
Saint Paul's Parish was established on the site that would later become known as Centreville, Maryland. It was almost 100 years later, in 1782, that the Maryland State Assembly passed an Act to relocate both the courthouse and all government functions of the county to Centreville from Queenstown, making Centreville the new county seat.
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.
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.
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 viewParlor with fireplace from northeast. - William Carmichael House, 201 East Water Street, Centreville, Queen Anne's Coun…, 1933
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Centreville’s page.
In 1794, according to Wikidata. Centreville’s post office opened in 1785, and the census of 1870 counted 915 people here.
How does Centreville rank for history?
Centreville is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #21 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 Centreville?
8 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Captain's Houses (listed 1980, the first), and 1 historic district, the Centreville Historic District, with 363 contributing buildings. 375 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Centreville?
15% of Centreville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 2003.
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 (8), 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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