Hagerstown dates to 1762, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #2 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
24 places in town are on the National Register, among them six historic districts with 2,575 buildings between them. Below: 16 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1792.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hagerstown’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hagerstown is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #2 of 261 in Maryland. All 3 inputs put Hagerstown near the top nationally; its age ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hagerstown’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 Hagerstown’s 597 sits above most of its state (91% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 2,606 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1762.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Hagerstown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1739, Jonathan Hager, a German immigrant from Pennsylvania and a volunteer Captain of Scouts, purchased 200 acres (81 ha) of land in the Great Appalachian Valley between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains in Maryland and called it Hager's Fancy. In 1762, Hager officially founded the town of Elizabethtown which he named after his wife, Elizabeth Kershner. Fourteen years later, Jonathan Hager became known as the "father of Washington County" after his efforts helped Hagerstown become the county seat of newly created Washington County, which Hager also helped create from neighboring Frederick County. The city council changed the community's name to Hager's-Town in 1813 because the name had gained popular usage, and in the following year, the Maryland State Legislature officially endorsed the changing of the town's name.
Passages that mention Hagerstown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Washington County, Maryland from the earliest settlements to the present time, including a history of Hagerstown1906 · page 196Read the page →
Read the text
more and Ohio railroad would not come through the heart of Washington County, according to the original design, and meetings were held in Boonsborough and Hagerstown to urge the company to select that route. When the railroad finally left Hagerstown far to the right, and the Canal was opened to Williamsport, the most important trade of Hagerstown, that of flour and grain, was almost
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Washington County, Maryland from the earliest settlements to the present time, including a history of Hagerstown1906 · page 435Read the page →
Read the text
Gruber founded Gruber’s Hagerstown Town and Country Almanac. In the century during which this almanac has been published, most of the time in a German and an English edition, nothing has contributed so much to make the name of the town of Hagerstown familiar throughout the United States as this little annual. F. J. Waltz, in an article published in the Popular Science Monthly
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.
Timeline
Hagerstown, 1740 to 1916
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hagerstown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1912Hagerstown 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 Hagerstown.
Every building
Hagerstown, building by building, 1887–1918
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1762, according to Wikidata. Hagerstown’s post office opened in 1792, and the census of 1820 counted 2,670 people here.
How does Hagerstown rank for history?
Hagerstown is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #2 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 Hagerstown?
24 listings: 17 buildings, among them the Valentia (listed 1974, the first), 6 historic districts with 2,575 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 2,606 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Hagerstown?
32% of Hagerstown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 (11), the Library of Congress (5), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (24), Wikipedia, 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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c. 1915
