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C−History
History · Derwood

Half of Derwood’s homes were built after 1985

More historic than 17% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Derwood was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985.

0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: PersianDutchNetwork · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

About Derwood’s history

How historic is Derwood?

C−

More historic than 17% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Derwood’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Derwood is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Derwood’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19405.2% of homes (±4.9) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical MD town 0.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 17%
NewerOlder

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 Derwood’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points).

Founding year: our sources. 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 Derwood’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 Derwood are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Derwood’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Derwood’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 Derwood came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Derwood.

Read it all →

Derwood was first recognized in the 1880s as a train stop on the B&O Railroad, which is now the intersection of Indianola Drive and Maryland Route 355 in Derwood Station. A second, larger railroad station was built in Derwood from 1886 to 1889. In the early 1900s, a small community grew up around the station.

On January 7, 1954, Schwartz Mill caught fire and both it and the Derwood railroad station were destroyed. Derwood station was never rebuilt, since there were not enough passengers traveling through the area.

In 1965, the man-made Lake Needwood was created by impounding Rock Creek.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Derwood, decade by decade

Today6 recent
US Navy 090207-N-7090S-018 Women runners of the all-Navy cross country team come up with a last-minute game plan prior …2009US Navy 090207-N-7090S-018 Women runners of the all-N…US Navy 090207-N-7090S-013 Lt. j.g. Will Christian leads a pack of runners during the Armed Forces Cross Country Champi…2009US Navy 090207-N-7090S-013 Lt. j.g. Will Christian le…US Navy 090207-N-7090S-004 Lt. Aiden Van Cleef, the only member representing the U.S. Coast Guard, finished second amon…2009US Navy 090207-N-7090S-004 Lt. Aiden Van Cleef, the o…US Navy 090206-N-7090S-236 Members of the all-Navy cross country team test the course for any holes or spots that could…2009US Navy 090206-N-7090S-236 Members of the all-Navy cr…US Navy 090206-N-7090S-137 Cmdr. Scott Jones laces his spikes to test the course at the Armed Forces Championship2009US Navy 090206-N-7090S-137 Cmdr. Scott Jones laces hi…US Navy 090206-N-7090S-055 The all-Navy cross country team returns to their warm-up area after checking in for the USA …2009US Navy 090206-N-7090S-055 The all-Navy cross country…
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

RedlandIts storyD

Questions about Derwood’s history

How does Derwood rank for history?

Derwood is more historic than 17% 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 Derwood?

5% of Derwood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1985.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people 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.