Whitehaven’s post office opened in 1809, and 100% of its homes were built before 1940
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 27 buildings.
How Whitehaven began
When was Whitehaven founded?
The Whitehaven post office opened in 1809, the earliest record of the town by name.
2 listings protect 28 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Architectural styles listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Lost post offices and places now gone
Whitehaven had its own post office from 1809 to 1984.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Whitehaven’s history
What year was Whitehaven founded?
The Whitehaven post office opened in 1809, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Whitehaven?
Two places: the Whitehaven Historic District (listed 1980) and the Whitehaven Hotel (1996).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.