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C+History
History · Hampstead

Hampstead was first counted by the census in 1860, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 43% of U.S. towns · #110 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it

Its Register listing is the Hampstead School. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1860.

1860first census
1on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hampstead began

When was Hampstead founded?

1860

Hampstead first appears in the census in 1860.

First census: 198 in 18602020 census: 6,241166 years

How historic is Hampstead?

C+

More historic than 43% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first census.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hampstead’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hampstead is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #110 of 261 in Maryland. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hampstead’s overall grade.
Founding era1860, from the first census: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194010.1% of homes (±4.7) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register1 listing, 1.6 per 10,000 residents · typical MD town 0.9 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 43%
NewerOlder
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 58%

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 Hampstead’s 1.6 sits near the middle of its state (52% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points).

Founding year: the first census (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 Hampstead’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 Hampstead are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19054 editions of the USGS map, 1905 to 1974. Watch Hampstead change.Lost villages5 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hampstead’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hampstead’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
On the map

Hampstead on the map, 1905 to 1974

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

Hampstead on the 1905 USGS mapHampstead on the 1944 USGS mapHampstead on the 1953 USGS mapHampstead on the 1974 USGS map1905Westminster 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 Hampstead.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Clear ViewMelanie AcresNorth Carroll FarmsRoberts FieldSmall Crossings

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Hampstead came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hampstead.

Read it all →

Originally called Spring Garden, the town of Hampstead was named after Hampstead, in England. The Western Maryland Railway reached Hampstead in 1879. The town was incorporated in 1888.

Hampstead School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. Once defunct and derelict, it was rehabilitated and is now The Residences at Hampstead School, a retirement facility.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hampstead, 1893 to 1989

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1893Born hereCharlie Snell is born here
  3. 20th century
  4. 1905On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1989Born hereKatie Zaferes is born here
By decade

Hampstead, decade by decade

Today11 recent
Lippy Brothers Farms Tour (20230224-OSEC-TEW-0839)2023Lippy Brothers Farms Tour (20230224-OSEC-TEW-0839)Lippy Brothers Farms Tour (20230224-OSEC-TEW-0797)2023Lippy Brothers Farms Tour (20230224-OSEC-TEW-0797)Lippy Brothers Farms Tour (20230224-OSEC-TEW-0781)2023Lippy Brothers Farms Tour (20230224-OSEC-TEW-0781)Lippy Brothers Farms Tour (20230224-OSEC-TEW-0717)2023Lippy Brothers Farms Tour (20230224-OSEC-TEW-0717)Hampstead School 2012-09-29 17-27-362012Hampstead School 2012-09-29 17-27-36St. John's United Methodist Church2011St. John's United Methodist ChurchNorth Carroll High School2009North Carroll High SchoolHampstead Town Hall2009Hampstead Town HallHampstead Elementary School2009Hampstead Elementary SchoolHampstead Train Station, roof2007Hampstead Train Station, roofHampstead Train Station2007Hampstead Train Station
Every building

Hampstead, building by building, 1911

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 sheet.

Hampstead fire insurance map, 1911, sheet 11911Sheet 1 of 3
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Hampstead

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2002
Hampstead School
Hampstead School
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Vernacular Tudor Revival1
Hampstead SchoolVernacular Tudor Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Hampstead, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,000190019502000Peak: 6,323

Between 198 and 6,323 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Hampstead

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

See all →
Katie ZaferesAmerican triathlete · b. 1989
C
Charlie SnellAmerican baseball player · b. 1893

Questions about Hampstead’s history

What year was Hampstead founded?

The Hampstead post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1888.

How does Hampstead rank for history?

Hampstead is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #110 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 Hampstead?

One place: the Hampstead School (listed 2002).

How old are the homes in Hampstead?

10% of Hampstead’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1993.

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 (11), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.