Fort Washington’s post office opened in 1822, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #85 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of Fort Washington was built recently: 0.4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 7 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1913 on, and the census since 1990.
From Fort Washington’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Fort Washington began
When was Fort Washington founded?
1822
The Fort Washington post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Fort Foote (1871), New Glatz (1893) and Silesia (1902), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 24,032 in 19902020 census: 24,261204 years
How historic is Fort Washington?
B−
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Fort Washington post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fort Washington’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fort Washington is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #85 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 Fort Washington’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 Fort Washington’s 3.6 sits near the middle of its state (60% 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 (±0.4 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 Fort Washington’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Fort Washington had its own post office from 1822 to 1940. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Fort Washington
1822–1940
Fort Foote
1871–1893
New Glatz
1893–1909
Silesia
1902–1927
Fort Washington
1996–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Battersea on the BayBroad CreekBroadwater EstatesBrooke ManorChapel HillFort Foote EstatesFort Foote VillageFort Washington EstatesFort Washington ForestFriendly FarmsHarmony HallIndian Queen EstatesJomar AcresKimberly WoodsNew GlatzPiscataway EstatesPiscataway HillsRiver Bend EstatesRiverviewRiverview EstatesSilesiaTantallonTantallon HillsTantallon North
Gone or out of use
Battery DecaturmilitaryBattery EmorymilitaryBattery HumphreysmilitaryBattery James ManymilitaryBattery MeigsmilitaryBattery SmithmilitaryBattery WhitemilitaryBattery WilkinmilitaryBower FieldairportChapel Hill SchoolschoolFort FootemilitaryFort Washingtonmilitary
1cemetery inside Fort Washington
Lyles Family
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Fort Washington on the map, 1913 to 1980
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fort Washington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1913Indian Head 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 Fort Washington.
Timeline
Fort Washington, 1769 to 1983
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The community is named for Fort Washington. The first Fort Washington was completed in 1809, and it was the only defensive fort protecting Washington, D.C. until the American Civil War. It consisted of a small earthwork embankment near the shore of the Potomac River. The failure of that fort to stop a British fleet from invading the national capital during the War of 1812 led to the construction of the current, larger, stone fortification. In 1844, a cannon exploded on the USS Princeton as it was passing Fort Washington. During World War II, the US Army's Adjutant General's School was located at the fort, and had billeting for 362 officers and 2,526 enlisted persons.
The Fort Washington post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Fort Washington rank for history?
Fort Washington is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #85 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 Fort Washington?
4 listings: 2 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Fort Washington and the Broad Creek Historic District, with 7 contributing buildings. 9 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Fort Washington?
0.4% of Fort Washington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
1860
1860
1860
