Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainIts Register listing is the Port Washington Town Hall. Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1850.
The Port Washington post office opened in 1832, the earliest record of the town by name.
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 Port Washington’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Port Washington. 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 Port Washington.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereAlexander Helwig Wyant is born here
Born hereLarry Schlafly is born here
Born hereArthur P. Lamneck is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyFrom Wikipedia’s history of Port Washington.
Port Washington was originally called Salisbury, and under the latter name was laid out in 1827. A post office called Port Washington has been in operation since 1832.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Port Washington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
In 1837, there were at Port Washington flourishing societies of both the Methodist Protestant and the Methodist Episcopal denominations. Services were held in the schoolhouse until about 1840, when a frame meeting house was erected and occupied by the two congregations. Of the former, Medad Vinton and Thomas Taylor were leading members ; of the latter, John Newton and Mr. Luk6ns. Both societies declined from 1845 to 1850, and the Methodist Episcopal first became extinct. The surviving organization then held sole possession of the property till it, too, passed out of existence, when the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Port Washington became an incorporated village in 1868. Dr. David Nelson was elected the first Mayor, but he resigned at once, and L. A. Cornet was elected to the vacancy. Those who have since filled this official position are W. J.
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.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Between 269 and 634 people in every census since 1850.
17 censuses, 1850–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Port Washington’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The Port Washington post office opened in 1832, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
One place: the Port Washington Town Hall (listed 1979).
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (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), 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.
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