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C−History
History · Forestville

Forestville’s post office opened in 1864

More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #184 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it

Most of Forestville was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1968. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 2000.

1864first post office
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Forestville began

When was Forestville founded?

1864

The Forestville post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Long Old Fields (1827) and Forrestville (1853), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 12,707 in 20002020 census: 12,831162 years

How historic is Forestville?

C−

More historic than 18% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Forestville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Forestville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Forestville is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #184 of 261 in Maryland. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Forestville’s overall grade.
Founding era1864, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19403.4% of homes (±1.7) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%C−National 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 18%
NewerOlder
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 30%

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 Forestville’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 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 Forestville’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Forestville, and 4 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Forestville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Forestville’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
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Forestville had its own post office from 1864 to 1919. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Long Old Fields
1827–1864
Forrestville
1853–1853
Forestville
1864–1919
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Berry LaneForest ManorNorth ForestvillePhelps
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Forestville
EpiphanyForest Memorial

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Forestville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Forestville.

Read it all →

Forestville was originally known as Long Old Fields. During the War of 1812, Long Old Fields served as an encampment on August 23, 1814, for American forces opposing the invading British, who camped just a few miles away. These forces met at the Battle of Bladensburg the next day. Long Old Fields' name was changed to Forestville sometime after the end of the Civil War in 1865.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Forestville, 1827 to 1990

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1827Post officeThe Long Old Fields post office opens
  3. 1853Post officeThe Forrestville post office opens
  4. 1853Post officeThe Forrestville post office closes
  5. 1864Post officeThe Long Old Fields post office closes
  6. 1864Post officeThe Forestville post office opens
  7. 1873In the archiveForestville MD map 1873
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1919Post officeThe Forestville post office closes
  11. 1978Born hereLaMont Jordan is born here
  12. 1987Born hereRobert Lowery is born here
  13. 1990Born hereKevin Dorsey is born here
  14. 1990Born hereKenny Tate is born here
By decade

Forestville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s3 items
Forestville MD map 18731873Forestville MD map 1873MapAtlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including the County of Prince George, Maryland1878Atlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including t…MapAtlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including the county of Montgomery, Maryland1879Atlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including t…Map
Today9 recent
2016-07-04 08 36 27 View south along the inner loop of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 95 and Interstate 495) at Exit 1…20162016-07-04 08 36 27 View south along the inner loop o…2016-07-04 08 35 53 View south along the inner loop of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 95 and Interstate 495) 1-2 mile …20162016-07-04 08 35 53 View south along the inner loop o…2016-07-04 08 35 34 View south along the inner loop of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 95 and Interstate 495) south of …20162016-07-04 08 35 34 View south along the inner loop o…2016-07-04 08 35 18 Sign describing distances to approaching exits along the southbound inner loop of the Capital Beltw…20162016-07-04 08 35 18 Sign describing distances to appr…2016-01-22 09 19 25 View north along the outer loop of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 95 and Interstate 495) at Exit 1…20162016-01-22 09 19 25 View north along the outer loop o…2016-01-22 09 18 53 View north along the outer loop of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 95 and Interstate 495) about one…20162016-01-22 09 18 53 View north along the outer loop o…2016-01-22 09 17 09 View north along the outer loop of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 95 and Interstate 495) at Exit 1…20162016-01-22 09 17 09 View north along the outer loop o…2016-01-22 09 16 47 View north along the outer loop of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 95 and Interstate 495) at Exit 1…20162016-01-22 09 16 47 View north along the outer loop o…MDMap-doton-Forestville2004MDMap-doton-Forestville
On the map

Forestville on the map, 1900 to 1934

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Forestville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Forestville on the 1900 USGS mapForestville on the 1934 USGS map1900Washington 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 Forestville.

People over time

Forestville, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00020002020Peak: 12,831

Between 12,353 and 12,831 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Forestville

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
R
Robert LoweryAmerican basketball player · b. 1987
L
LaMont JordanPlayer of American football · b. 1978
K
Kevin DorseyAmerican football player · b. 1990
K
Kenny TateAmerican football player · b. 1990
A
Andre JonesAmerican football player · b. 1985
B
Brandon PeelAmerican basketball player · b. 1994
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

MorningsideIts storyD−Walker Mill1 historic placeCDistrict HeightsIts storyDSuitland2 historic placesCWestphalia2 historic placesC+Camp SpringsIts storyD

Questions about Forestville’s history

What year was Forestville founded?

The Forestville post office opened in 1864, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Forestville rank for history?

Forestville is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #184 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.

How old are the homes in Forestville?

3% of Forestville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1968.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 (12), 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.