Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1860.
The Trappe post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1827.
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Trappe is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Trappe’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.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Trappe’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Trappe. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Trappe.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born herePhilemon Dickinson is born here
Born hereHome Run Baker is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
In the archiveAdd-ons - 20th Century (American Colonial on Federal on First Period) - Trappe, MD - Mart…From Wikipedia’s history of Trappe.
Trappe was incorporated in 1827. It may have been named for either wolf traps or a Trappist monastery.
Compton and The Wilderness are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A Blessing Box was installed at the Trappe Volunteer Firehouse in 2019 by Josh Cherry.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Trappe’s page.
Retake this view · +15Grew from 305 people in 1860 to 1,177 in 2020, 3 times over.
17 censuses, 1860–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Trappe’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Trappe’s post office has been open since 1813.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Trappe post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1827.
Trappe is more historic than 60% 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.
20% of Trappe’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.0 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1980.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), the Library of Congress (1), 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) 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.
Date?
2004