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A−History
History · Jefferson

Jefferson dates to 1774, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 79% of U.S. towns · #35 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it

Most of Jefferson was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Its Register listings are the Lewis Mill Complex and the Willard, George,House. Below: 4 old photos and papers and maps from 1944 on.

1774founded
2on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Jefferson’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Jefferson began

When was Jefferson founded?

1774

Jefferson dates its founding to 1774 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1801.

2020 census: 2,697252 years

How historic is Jefferson?

A−

More historic than 79% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1801.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Jefferson’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jefferson is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #35 of 261 in Maryland. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Jefferson’s overall grade.
Founding era1774, from Wikipedia: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19405.7% of homes (±5.0) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register2 listings, 7 historic buildings, 21.1 per 10,000 residents · typical MD town 0.9 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 79%
NewerOlder
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 87%

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 Jefferson’s 21.1 sits above most of its state (75% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1774.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 points).

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Jefferson’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 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Jefferson, and 7 old place names are still on the map.Older than the countryEstablished in 1774, 2 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jefferson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jefferson’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMaryland: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Jefferson’s post office has been open since 1832. Another post office, Newtown Trap, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Newtown Trap
1801–1832
Jefferson
1832–today
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Briercrest HeightsCopperfieldJefferson CourtJefferson OaksNorth JeffersonRoundtreeStockman Estates
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Jefferson
Jefferson UnionJefferson United Methodist Church

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

Timeline

Jefferson, 1774 to 1944

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1774
    FoundingJefferson is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1801Post officeThe Newtown Trap post office opens
  5. 1832Post officeThe Newtown Trap post office closes
  6. 1832Post officeThe Jefferson post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1917In the archiveMaryland
  9. 1944On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Jefferson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jefferson.

Read it all →

According to archaeologist Mary F. Barse, Jefferson was initially laid out in 1774 on a 96-acre (390,000 m2) tract owned by Mrs. Eleanor Medley, which was ultimately called "New Town". It contained 40 rectangular lots – 20 aligned on each side of what is now MD 180 – stretching between what are now Lander Road and Old Middletown Road. In 1795, 22 additional lots were platted by Elias Delashmutt on the western end of the original section, and called "New Freedom". In 1831 both sections were incorporated as "Jefferson" by the Maryland Legislature.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Jefferson, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s4 items
Maryland1917MarylandMaryland1917MarylandMaryland1917MarylandMaryland1917Maryland
1920s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today8 recent
2016-09-21 11 41 57 View east along Maryland State Route 180 (Jefferson Pike) between Old Middletown Road and Lander Ro…20162016-09-21 11 41 57 View east along Maryland State Ro…2016-09-21 09 55 35 View north along Maryland State Route 383 (Broad Run Road) just north of Buckley Drive in20162016-09-21 09 55 35 View north along Maryland State R…War correspondents Memorial2015War correspondents MemorialGathland War correspondents Memorial 42015Gathland War correspondents Memorial 4Distillery Lane Ciderworks2015Distillery Lane CiderworksJefferson MD12014Jefferson MD1Isaac Bond Map Library of Congress, MSA SC 1213-1-4572011Isaac Bond Map Library of Congress, MSA SC 1213-1-457Map14, Jefferson, MD, USA - panoramio (5)201014, Jefferson, MD, USA - panoramio (5)
On the map

Jefferson on the map, 1944 to 1970

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

Jefferson on the 1944 USGS mapJefferson on the 1953 USGS mapJefferson on the 1970 USGS map1944Point Of Rocks sheet · 1:31,680

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Jefferson.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Maryland
Retake this viewMaryland, 1917

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Jefferson’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Jefferson

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
7
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Lewis Mill Complex
Lewis Mill ComplexWillard, George,House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Federal1
Greek Revival1
Lewis Mill ComplexBuilding
Willard, George,HouseFederal

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

Questions about Jefferson’s history

What year was Jefferson founded?

In 1774, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Jefferson’s post office opened in 1801.

How does Jefferson rank for history?

Jefferson is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #35 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 Jefferson?

Two places: the Lewis Mill Complex (listed 1982) and the Willard, George,House (1993).

How old are the homes in Jefferson?

6% of Jefferson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.