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History · Henderson

Henderson’s post office opened in 1868

Most of Henderson was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1880.

1868first post office
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Henderson began, and where its name came from

When was Henderson founded?

1868

The Henderson post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1949.

First census: 52 in 18802020 census: 160158 years

How did Henderson get its name?

Henderson was named for a stockholder of the Delaware and Chesapeake Railroad.

Founding year: the first Henderson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1949. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What stands out about Henderson’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 Henderson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1980 and 1990, then more than doubled.On the map since 19013 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1951. Watch Henderson change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Henderson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Henderson’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
People over time

Henderson, census by census

010018801900192019401960198020002020156 in 1980Low: 66

Lost half of its people between 1980 and 1990, then more than doubled.

9 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

On the map

Henderson on the map, 1901 to 1951

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

Henderson on the 1901 USGS mapHenderson on the 1944 USGS mapHenderson on the 1951 USGS map1901Belair 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 Henderson.

The story so far

Henderson, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Henderson yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Henderson is a town in Caroline County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, Henderson had a population of 160. It was named for a stockholder of the Delaware and Chesapeake Railroad. Athol was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Its first post office opened in 1868. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 146 to 160 (+10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Henderson in 1920

Passages that mention Henderson, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Grandmother: When this Delaware and Chesapeake Railroad came through Henderson the stagecoach seemed old fashioned and slow but that is another story for another day when you want to hear more about Henderson's early history.
History of Caroline County, Maryland, from its beginning1920Read the page →
Read the text

Grandmother: When this Delaware and Chesapeake Railroad came through Henderson the stagecoach seemed old fashioned and slow but that is another story for another day when you want to hear more about Henderson's early history.

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

Henderson, 1868 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868Post officeThe Henderson post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 21st century
  6. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 160
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Henderson

Nobody well known was born in Henderson itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Annie Jump CannonAmerican astronomer · b. 1863
Teri PoloAmerican actress · b. 1969
J
Joshua ClaytonAmerican politician · b. 1744
H
Harry HochMajor League Baseball pitcher · b. 1887
A
Ashley ColemanAmerican model · b. 1981
B
Bryan RobinsonPlayer of American and Canadian football · b. 1986

Questions about Henderson’s history

What year was Henderson founded?

The Henderson post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1949.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From 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.