Most of Pittsville was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1910.
Founding year: the first Pittsville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
History grade
What drives Pittsville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pittsville is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pittsville’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 Pittsville’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (20% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Pittsville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pittsville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Pittsville 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 Pittsville.
The story so far
Pittsville, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pittsville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Pittsville is a town in Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pittsville had a population of 1,636. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was named for Dr. Hillary R. Pitts, president of the Worcester & Pocomoke Railroad ca 1868-1870.
Its first post office opened in 1868. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,417 to 1,636 (+15%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Pittsville, 1868 to 1908
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Grew from 300 people in 1910 to 1,636 in 2020, 5 times over.
11 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pittsville’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners
Pittsville’s post office has been open since 1868.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Pittsville Manor
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Pittsville’s history
What year was Pittsville founded?
The Pittsville post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Pittsville rank for history?
Pittsville is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Pittsville?
9% of Pittsville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
2017
2017