Madras’ post office opened in 1902, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 24% of U.S. towns · #95 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Madras was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Its Register listings are the Max and Ollie Lueddemann House, the Madras Army Air Field North Hangar and the Jefferson County Courthouse. Below: maps from 1913 on.
Founding year: the first Madras post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1911.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Madras’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Madras is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #95 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Madras’ overall grade.
Oregon towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oregon town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Madras’ 5.2 sits near the middle of its state (56% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1911 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 →
What stands out about Madras’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The original plat for Madras was filed on July 18, 1902, by Scandinavian immigrant John A. Palmehn, for whom the town was originally named "Palmain". The name was rejected by the U.S. Postal Service over its similarity to a post office named Parmen, and the name "Madras" was adopted, inspired by the cloth fabric of the same name, itself named for the city of Madras (now Chennai) in India.
Madras was incorporated as a city in 1911. An Army Air Corps base, Madras Army Air Field, was built nearby during World War II. This airfield now serves as the Madras Municipal Airport. Homesteads approximately 5 miles (8 km) north of the city on Agency Plains were based on dryland wheat.
Air Base Post Officepost officeWestside Elementary Schoolschool
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Madras’ history
What year was Madras founded?
The Madras post office opened in 1902, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1911.
How does Madras rank for history?
Madras is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #95 of 142 in Oregon. 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 Madras?
Three places: the Max and Ollie Lueddemann House (listed 1996), the Madras Army Air Field North Hangar (2015) and the Jefferson County Courthouse (2015).
How old are the homes in Madras?
4% of Madras’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), 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.
