Middletown dates to 1833, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 87% of U.S. towns · #22 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 367 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1899 on, and the census since 1870.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Middletown is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #22 of 261 in Maryland. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Middletown’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 Middletown’s 748 sits above most of its state (93% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 375 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1833.
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 (±5.9 points).
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 Middletown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1899Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
A young Lieutenant George Washington, while surveying the South Mountain area, reported that Middletown Valley was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. Later, as a colonel in 1755, he was to accompany General Braddock on the old Indian Trail that ran through the valley on his way to Fort Cumberland.
The early German and English settlers started to arrive in the valley in the 1730s. Among them was Michael Jesserong, who paid £66 for 50 acres (200,000 m2). He named his property Middletown and sold the first lots there in 1767, the date officially marked as that of the town's founding.
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.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Foxfield MiddletownRemsberg Acres
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Middletown
MiddletownZion Lutheran
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Middletown’s history
What year was Middletown founded?
In 1833, according to Wikidata. the census of 1870 counted 746 people here.
How does Middletown rank for history?
Middletown is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #22 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 Middletown?
4 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Stonebraker and Harbaugh-Shafer Building (listed 2002, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Middletown Historic District and the Airview Historic District, with 367 contributing buildings. 375 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Middletown?
13% of Middletown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1997.
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 (6), 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 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.
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