Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Williamsport

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A+History
History · Williamsport

32% of Williamsport’s homes were built before 1940

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 416 buildings. Below: 30 old photos and papers, maps from 1918 on, and the census since 1850.

5on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
30old photos & papers
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Williamsport’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Williamsport’s history

How historic is Williamsport?

A+

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Williamsport’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Williamsport is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs put Williamsport near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Williamsport’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194031.9% of homes (±2.2) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register5 listings, 431 historic buildings, 2,211 per 10,000 residents · typical MD town 0.9 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the top 1%
NewerOlder

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 Williamsport’s 2,211 sits above most of its state (99% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 431 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. 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 Williamsport’s past

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

A historic districtThe Williamsport Historic District takes in 416 historic buildings.A town in old photos30 old photos, postcards and papers, 1861–1933.Landmarks on the Register5 places on the National Register.Old housesHalf of Williamsport’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

5 listings protect 431 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
431
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Rose Hill
Springfield FarmWilliamsport Historic DistrictElmwood
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival2
Federal1
Victorian1
Late Victorian1
Italianate1
Second Empire1
Rose HillFederal
Springfield FarmVictorian
Williamsport Historic DistrictGreek Revival
ElmwoodGreek Revival
All 5 listings
Sprechers Mill HouseBuilding · listed 1978

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

By decade

Williamsport, decade by decade

6 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s10 items
Williamsport, Md1861Williamsport, MdBrick house on the Potomac, near Williamsport, after a rebel carronade LCCN2017650942 (cropped)1862Brick house on the Potomac, near Williamsport, after …Maryland and Pennsylvania farmers visiting the battle-field of Antietam while the National troops were burying the dead…1862Maryland and Pennsylvania farmers visiting the battle…The Potomac River, near Williamsport, on the morning of the crossing of Gen. Lee's army1863The Potomac River, near Williamsport, on the morning …[Sketches with the army] our camp at Williamsport, 18631863[Sketches with the army] our camp at Williamsport, 18…Sketches with the army our camp at Williamsport 18631863Sketches with the army our camp at Williamsport 1863Signal officers, in attic of farm house, watching the army of General Lee near Williamsport, Maryland1863Signal officers, in attic of farm house, watching the…On the Potomac nr. Williamsport. Rebel crossing ; Rebel Pontoons at Falling Waters1863On the Potomac nr. Williamsport. Rebel crossing ; Reb…Breastworks near Williamsport, Md., thrown up by Gen. Lee's army, on its retreat toward the Potomac1863Breastworks near Williamsport, Md., thrown up by Gen.…The Potomac River, near Williamsport, on the morning of the crossing of Gen. Lee's army1863The Potomac River, near Williamsport, on the morning …
1870s–1900s13 items
Steamboat On Cheasapeake and Ohio Canalc. 1875Steamboat On Cheasapeake and Ohio CanalNorth from Williamsport1892North from WilliamsportUp the Potomac1892Up the PotomacPotomac River at Williamsport Plate II WBClark 18971897Potomac River at Williamsport Plate II WBClark 1897Potomac River at1900Potomac River atPotomac River at Williamsport, Md1900Potomac River at Williamsport, MdPotomac River at Williamsport, Md1900Potomac River at Williamsport, MdChesapeake and Ohio Canal at Williamsport, Md1903Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at Williamsport, MdPotomac River at Williamsport, Md1904Potomac River at Williamsport, MdPotomac River at Williamsport, MD1904Potomac River at Williamsport, MDMaryland. Williamsport. Streetcar passing Potomac House1906Maryland. Williamsport. Streetcar passing Potomac Hou…Maryland. Williamsport. Streetcar passing Potomac House1906Maryland. Williamsport. Streetcar passing Potomac Hou…Maryland. Williamsport. Streetcar passing Potomac House1906Maryland. Williamsport. Streetcar passing Potomac Hou…
1910s–1930s7 items
Maryland1917MarylandMaryland1917MarylandMaryland1917MarylandMaryland1917MarylandEAST (MAIN) AND NORTH ELEVATIONS - Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Lockhouse at Lock 44, 99.3 miles above tidewater (Canal S…1933EAST (MAIN) AND NORTH ELEVATIONS - Chesapeake and Ohi…EAST (MAIN) AND SOUTH ELEVATIONS - Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Lock Tender's House at Lock 48, 108.9 Miles above Tidewat…1933EAST (MAIN) AND SOUTH ELEVATIONS - Chesapeake and Ohi…EAST (MAIN) AND SOUTH ELEVATIONS - Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Lock Tender's House at Lock 50, 108.9 Miles above Tidewat…1933EAST (MAIN) AND SOUTH ELEVATIONS - Chesapeake and Ohi…
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
The story

How Williamsport came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Williamsport.

Read it all →

The town lies on one of the early Native American trails between New York and the Carolinas. In the mid-18th century, tens of thousands of European settlers and pioneer families with their wagons followed the same route on the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania to Virginia and points south and west. In 1744, a ferry was established at the present site of Williamsport to carry the traffic across the Potomac River. Today’s travelers make the crossing on Interstate 81 a mile downriver from the town.

ChaptersEconomic growthFlooding

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Williamsport in 1906

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

The Western Maryland road was completed to the canal at Williamsport and the first trains were run on December 17, 1873. The first train brought to Williamsport the Governor of Mary¬ land, William Pinkney Whyte, officials of the City of Baltimore and of the State and a great number of citizens who …
A history of Washington County, Maryland from the earliest settlements to the present time, including a history of Hagerstown1906 · page 403Read the page →
Read the text

The Western Maryland road was completed to the canal at Williamsport and the first trains were run on December 17, 1873. The first train brought to Williamsport the Governor of Mary¬ land, William Pinkney Whyte, officials of the City of Baltimore and of the State and a great number of citizens who were entertained by the people of Williamsport at a banquet in the public school

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
of the Port, Gen. Williams bought Springfield farm in Washington County and another tract of land at the mouth of the Conpcocheague, where he laid out the town of Williamsport in 1787. Gen. Wil-
A history of Washington County, Maryland from the earliest settlements to the present time, including a history of Hagerstown1906 · page 78Read the page →
Read the text

of the Port, Gen. Williams bought Springfield farm in Washington County and another tract of land at the mouth of the Conpcocheague, where he laid out the town of Williamsport in 1787. Gen. Wil-

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

Williamsport, 1796 to 1944

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1796Post officeThe Williamsport post office opens
  3. 19th century
  4. 1839Born hereJohn Van Lear Findlay is born here
  5. 1861In the archiveWilliamsport, Md
  6. 1875In the archiveSteamboat On Cheasapeake and Ohio Canal
  7. 1892In the archiveNorth from Williamsport
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900In the archivePotomac River at
  10. 1915Born hereBoots Poffenberger is born here
  11. 1917In the archiveMaryland
  12. 1929Born hereGoodloe Byron is born here
  13. 1930Born hereDave Cole is born here
  14. 1933In the archiveEAST (MAIN) AND NORTH ELEVATIONS - Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Lockhouse at Lock 44, 99.3 …
  15. 1944On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
On the map

Williamsport on the map, 1944 to 1997

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

Williamsport on the 1944 USGS mapWilliamsport on the 1953 USGS mapWilliamsport on the 1971 USGS mapWilliamsport on the 1997 USGS map1944Williamsport sheet · 1:31,680

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Williamsport.

Every building

Williamsport, building by building, 1918

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 sheet.

Williamsport fire insurance map, 1918, sheet 11918Sheet 1 of 5
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.

Williamsport, Md
Retake this viewWilliamsport, Md, 1861

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Williamsport, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001850190019502000Peak: 2,270

Between 1,016 and 2,270 people in every census since 1850.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Williamsport

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

See all →
Goodloe ByronAmerican politician from Maryland, US · b. 1929
J
John Van Lear FindlayU.S. Representative from Maryland · b. 1839
Dave ColeAmerican baseball player · b. 1930
B
Boots PoffenbergerAmerican baseball player · b. 1915
Charles L. DowneyAmerican politician · b. 1915
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Williamsport’s post office has been open since 1796.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Cloverton
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Williamsport
River ViewSaint Augustines

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

Help out

Finish Williamsport’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewWilliamsport, Md: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Williamsport’s history

How does Williamsport rank for history?

Williamsport is among the most historic 1% 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.

What is on the National Register in Williamsport?

5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Rose Hill (listed 1973, the first), and 1 historic district, the Williamsport Historic District, with 416 contributing buildings. 431 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Williamsport?

32% of Williamsport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1964.

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 (14), the Library of Congress (16), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.