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History · Union Bridge

Union Bridge was first counted by the census in 1870, and 51% of its homes were built before 1940

6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 244 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1870.

1870first census
6on the National Register
51%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Union Bridge’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Union Bridge began

When was Union Bridge founded?

1870

Union Bridge first appears in the census in 1870.

First census: 323 in 18702020 census: 936156 years
Founding year: the first census.

What stands out about Union Bridge’s past

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

A historic districtThe Union Bridge Historic District takes in 244 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Union Bridge’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19114 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1971. Watch Union Bridge change.Landmarks on the Register6 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

6 listings protect 270 historic buildings

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

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
270
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Pipe Creek Friends Meetinghouse
Pipe Creek Friends MeetinghouseUnion Bridge StationHard LodgingWilson's InheritanceUnion Bridge Historic DistrictMt. Pleasant
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Victorian1
Late Victorian1
Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals1
late 19th and 20th Century American Movements1
Early Republic1
Pipe Creek Friends MeetinghouseBuilding
Union Bridge StationGreek Revival
Hard LodgingBuilding
Wilson's InheritanceBuilding
Union Bridge Historic DistrictLate Victorian
Mt. PleasantEarly Republic

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

The story so far

Union Bridge, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Union Bridge yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Union Bridge is a town in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 936 at the 2020 census. Much of the town was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Union Bridge Historic District in 1994.

Its first post office opened in 1870. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 975 to 936 (-4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

On the map

Union Bridge on the map, 1911 to 1971

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

Union Bridge on the 1911 USGS mapUnion Bridge on the 1944 USGS mapUnion Bridge on the 1953 USGS mapUnion Bridge on the 1971 USGS map1911Taneytown 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 Union Bridge.

Timeline

Union Bridge, 1818 to 1911

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1818Born hereJohn Hanson Farquhar is born here
  3. 1825Born hereWilliam Henry Rinehart is born here
  4. 1873In the archiveHugh Bolton Jones 1873 Near
  5. 1874Born hereHarvey Derne is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1911On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Union Bridge, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
Hugh Bolton Jones 1873 Near1873Hugh Bolton Jones 1873 Near
Date unknown4 to date
Hopewell, Pearre RoadDate?Hopewell, Pearre RoadMount Pleasant, 200 West Locust StreetDate?Mount Pleasant, 200 West Locust StreetWilson's Inheritance, 4400 Green Valley RoadDate?Wilson's Inheritance, 4400 Green Valley RoadMcKinstry's Mill, 1498 McKinstry's Mill RoadDate?McKinstry's Mill, 1498 McKinstry's Mill Road
Today3 recent
Union Bridge cement kiln MD12025Union Bridge cement kiln MD1McKinstrys Mills Historic District, Maryland2012McKinstrys Mills Historic District, MarylandUnion Bridge MD2011Union Bridge MD
Every building

Union Bridge, building by building, 1904–1910

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.

Union Bridge fire insurance map, 1904, sheet 11904Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

Hugh Bolton Jones 1873 Near
Retake this viewHugh Bolton Jones 1873 Near, 1873

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Union Bridge, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,082

Between 323 and 1,082 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Union Bridge

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
William Henry RinehartAmerican artist · b. 1825
J
John Hanson FarquharAmerican politician · b. 1818
Harvey DerneAmerican football coach · b. 1874
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Bellevue HeightsWest View Terrace
1cemetery inside Union Bridge
Mountain View

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Union Bridge’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo4 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewHugh Bolton Jones 1873 Near: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Union Bridge’s history

What year was Union Bridge founded?

The Union Bridge post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1872.

What is on the National Register in Union Bridge?

6 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Pipe Creek Friends Meetinghouse (listed 1976, the first), and 1 historic district, the Union Bridge Historic District, with 244 contributing buildings. 270 historic buildings in all.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.