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History · Cordova

Cordova’s post office opened in 1869, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 2000.

1869first post office
0on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Cordova began

When was Cordova founded?

1869

The Cordova post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 592 in 20002020 census: 551157 years
Founding year: the first Cordova post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Cordova’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Cordova are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Cordova’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cordova’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cordova’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Cordova came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cordova.

Read it all →

Just north of town, St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church was founded on a farm in 1765.

Tapper's Corner Road runs east of town to Lewistown Road, near the head of a creek which flows (38.8845°N 75.958°W / 38.8845; -75.958) into the Tuckahoe; this creek was called Kentucky, nearby once stood the cabin of Betsey Bailey, the grandmother of Frederick Douglass; he believed he was born there.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Cordova, decade by decade

Today6 recent
2022-06-21 15 56 52 Abandoned railroad overpass over Maryland State Route 303 (Tappers Corner Road) with a U.S. Coast a…20222022-06-21 15 56 52 Abandoned railroad overpass over …2022-06-21 15 56 07 View north along Maryland State Route 303 (Tappers Corner Road) from an abandoned railroad overpass…20222022-06-21 15 56 07 View north along Maryland State R…2022-06-21 15 55 43 View south along Maryland State Route 303 (Tappers Corner Road) from an abandoned railroad overpass…20222022-06-21 15 55 43 View south along Maryland State R…2022-06-21 15 26 11 View north along Maryland State Route 303 (Tappers Corner Road) at Maryland State Route 309 (Cordov…20222022-06-21 15 26 11 View north along Maryland State R…2017-08-21 15 36 05 View north along Maryland State Route 303 (Tappers Corner Road) at Maryland State Route 309 (Cordov…20172017-08-21 15 36 05 View north along Maryland State R…MDMap-doton-Cordova2004MDMap-doton-Cordova
On the map

Cordova on the map in 1905

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cordova.

Cordova on the 1905 USGS map1905Denton 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 Cordova.

People over time

Cordova, census by census

010020030040050060020002020Peak: 592

Between 509 and 592 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cordova’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Cordova

Nobody well known was born in Cordova itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Maggie RogersAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1994
Philip Francis ThomasAmerican politician · b. 1810
Philemon DickinsonAmerican politician · b. 1739
Harry HughesAmerican politician · b. 1926
Madeline HurlockAmerican actress · b. 1897
B
Bobby LeaAmerican cyclist · b. 1983

Questions about Cordova’s history

What year was Cordova founded?

The Cordova post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.