Fallston’s post office opened in 1849, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns · #69 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of Fallston was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Its Register listings are the Bon Air, the Little Falls Meetinghouse and the Rockdale. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 2000.
The Fallston post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name. Six smaller post offices, White House (1845), Pleasantville (1849) and Vale (1887), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 8,427 in 20002020 census: 9,306177 years
How historic is Fallston?
B
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Fallston post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Fallston’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fallston is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #69 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 Fallston’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 Fallston’s 9.0 sits above most of its state (68% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 9 historic buildings outnumber those of 75% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 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 Fallston’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Fallston yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Fallston is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 8,958 at the 2010 census, up from 8,427 in 2000. Fallston is a semi-rural community consisting mostly of farms and suburban-like developments.
Its first post office opened in 1849. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 8,958 to 9,306 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Fallston in 1901
Passages that mention Fallston, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Harford County, Maryland1901 · page 195Read the page →
Read the text
Next in order of establishment we find that of Little Falls, near Fallston, about the year 1738, (not on its present site, however), and Broad Creek, near Dublin, in 1828. A meeting was established at Fawn Grove, York county. Pa., near the Maryland line, many of its members living in Harford. It was held as early as 1780.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
HISTORY OF HARFORD COUNTY MARYLAND1901 · page 195Read the page →
Read the text
Next in order of establishment we find that of Little Falls, near Fallston, about the year 1738, (not on its present site, however), and Broad Creek, near Dublin, in 1828. A meeting was established at Fawn Grove, York county, Pa., near the Maryland line, many of its members living in Harford. It was held as early as 1780.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Fallston, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 Fallston post office opened in 1849, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Fallston rank for history?
Fallston is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #69 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 Fallston?
Three places: the Bon Air (listed 1977), the Little Falls Meetinghouse (1980) and the Rockdale (1982).
How old are the homes in Fallston?
1% of Fallston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 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 (3), 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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