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A−History
History · Poolesville

Poolesville dates to 1760, and 5 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns · #39 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it

Most of Poolesville was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 17 buildings. Below: 15 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1900.

1760founded
5on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
15old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Poolesville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Poolesville began

When was Poolesville founded?

1760

Poolesville dates its founding to 1760 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 236 in 19002020 census: 5,742266 years

How historic is Poolesville?

A−

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1810.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Poolesville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Poolesville is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #39 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 Poolesville’s overall grade.
Founding era1760, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19403.0% of homes (±3.0) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register5 listings, 27 historic buildings, 46.8 per 10,000 residents · typical MD town 0.9 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 78%
NewerOlder
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 85%

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 Poolesville’s 46.8 sits above most of its state (80% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 27 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1760.
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 (±3.0 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 Poolesville’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1920 and 1950, then grew more than tenfold.A town in old photos15 old photos, postcards and papers, 1841–1936.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Poolesville, and 4 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19086 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1995. Watch Poolesville change.
★ What stands out · People over time

Poolesville, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0001900192019401960198020002020325 in 1920Low: 161

Lost half of its people between 1920 and 1950, then grew more than tenfold.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

By decade

Poolesville, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1840s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1840s–1890s5 items
Poolesville-Darnestown-Rockville MD 18411841Poolesville-Darnestown-Rockville MD 1841Atlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including the County of Prince George, Maryland1878Atlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including t…MapAtlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including the County of Prince George, Maryland1878Atlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including t…MapAtlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including the county of Montgomery, Maryland1879Atlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including t…MapSandstone Quarry Seneca Fig 2 Plate XXVIII WBClark 18981898Sandstone Quarry Seneca Fig 2 Plate XXVIII WBClark 18…
1900s–1920snothing 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
1930s10 items
Historic American Buildings Survey Delos H. Smith, Photographer 1936 - Main Street (Houses), Fisher Avenue and Jerusale…1933Historic American Buildings Survey Delos H. Smith, Ph…Historic American Buildings Survey Delos H. Smith, Photographer 1936 - Stoney Castle, State Route 109 Vicinity, Poolesv…1933Historic American Buildings Survey Delos H. Smith, Ph…Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, Photographer October 19, 1936 10-35 A. M. VIEW FROM SOUTHEAST. - L…1936Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, …Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, Photographer October 19, 1936 10-45 A. M. VIEW FROM THE EAST (fron…1936Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, …Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, Photographer October 19, 1936 3-50 P. M. VIEW FROM SOUTHWEST (fron…1936Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, …Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, Photographer October 19, 1936 4-05 P. M. VIEW FROM NORTH (front) -…1936Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, …Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, Photographer October 19, 1936 9-45 A. M. GENERAL VIEW OF HOUSE, KI…1936Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, …Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, Photographer September 3, 1936 2-05 P. M. VIEW FROM NORTHWEST (fro…1936Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, …Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, Photographer September 3, 1936 2-10 P. M. VIEW FROM NORTHWEST (fro…1936Historic American Buildings Survey John O. Brostrup, …Valhalla HABS MD11936Valhalla HABS MD1
1940s–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
Today3 recent
John Poole House, front2008John Poole House, frontJohn Poole House, front2008John Poole House, frontTaking advantage of a fine fall afternoon. 2005, C&O Canal Towpath, Poolesville, MD. Credit USEPA2005Taking advantage of a fine fall afternoon. 2005, C&O …
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Poolesville’s post office has been open since 1819. Another post office, Poole's Store, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Poole's Store
1810–1819
Poolesville
1819–today
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
JerusalemSeneca ChaseWesmondWesterly

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

The story

How Poolesville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Poolesville.

Read it all →

In 1760, brothers John Poole Sr. and Joseph Poole Sr. purchased 160 acres (0.65 km2; 0.25 sq mi) in the area that is now Poolesville. Thirty-three years later, John Poole Jr. used a 15 acres (0.061 km2) tract that he inherited from his father to build a log store and subdivided the tract, selling portions to a number of other merchants. The settlement grew from there and was incorporated in 1867.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Poolesville in 1879

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

River, thence to Brookeville, thence to Redland, thence to Charles_ Saffell's residence, thence to F. A. Tschiftely's residence, thence to where the river road crosses Watts' Branch, thence up the river road to the road from Poolesville to White's Ferry, thence west to the Potomac River, a tolerabl…
The history of Montgomery county, Maryland, from its earliest settlement in 1650 to 1879 ..1879 · page 48Read the page →
Read the text

River, thence to Brookeville, thence to Redland, thence to Charles_ Saffell's residence, thence to F. A. Tschiftely's residence, thence to where the river road crosses Watts' Branch, thence up the river road to the road from Poolesville to White's Ferry, thence west to the Potomac River, a tolerably well defined boundary line of the settlements made before 1730 will be had, excepting a few mentioned settlements made on the head-waters of the Great Seneca and the Dry Seneca. Beyond this bound-

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

Poolesville, 1760 to 2020

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1760
    FoundingPoolesville is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1810Post officeThe Poole's Store post office opens
  5. 1819Post officeThe Poole's Store post office closes
  6. 1819Post officeThe Poolesville post office opens
  7. 1841In the archivePoolesville-Darnestown-Rockville MD 1841
  8. 1878In the archiveAtlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including the County of Prince George, Maryland
  9. 1898In the archiveSandstone Quarry Seneca Fig 2 Plate XXVIII WBClark 1898
  10. 20th century
  11. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 1933In the archiveHistoric American Buildings Survey Delos H. Smith, Photographer 1936 - Main Street (House…
  13. 1991Born hereMatthew Heimbach is born here
  14. 21st century
  15. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 5,742
On the map

Poolesville on the map, 1908 to 1995

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

Poolesville on the 1908 USGS mapPoolesville on the 1944 USGS mapPoolesville on the 1952 USGS mapPoolesville on the 1970 USGS mapPoolesville on the 1988 USGS mapPoolesville on the 1995 USGS map1908Seneca 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 Poolesville.

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.

Poolesville-Darnestown-Rockville MD 1841
Retake this viewPoolesville-Darnestown-Rockville MD 1841, 1841

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

5 listings protect 27 historic buildings

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

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
27
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Chiswell's Inheritance
Chiswell's InheritancePoolesville Historic DistrictOld Chiswell PlaceValhallaDowden's Luck
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Federal1
Chiswell's InheritanceBuilding
Poolesville Historic DistrictDistrict
Old Chiswell PlaceBuilding
ValhallaBuilding
Dowden's LuckFederal

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

Help out

Finish Poolesville’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPoolesville-Darnestown-Rockville MD 1841: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Poolesville’s history

What year was Poolesville founded?

In 1760, according to Wikidata. Poolesville’s post office opened in 1810, and the census of 1900 counted 236 people here.

How does Poolesville rank for history?

Poolesville is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #39 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 Poolesville?

5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Chiswell's Inheritance (listed 1974, the first), and 1 historic district, the Poolesville Historic District, with 17 contributing buildings. 27 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Poolesville?

3% of Poolesville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1986.

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 (18), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, 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), 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.