Most of Merlin was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Its Register listing is the Reed-Cobb-Bowser House and Barn. Below: 3 old photos and papers and maps from 1954 on.
The Merlin post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, McAllister (1885), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,690135 years
How historic is Merlin?
C
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Merlin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Merlin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Merlin is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Merlin’s 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 Merlin’s 12.4 sits above most of its state (75% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.1 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Merlin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Merlin yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Merlin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Merlin had a population of 1,690. The area is known for sport fishing and whitewater rafting on the Rogue River. Merlin's ZIP code is 97532. A new railroad station in this location in 1883 was called "Jump Off Joe" for a local stream. The station was renamed "Merlin" in October 1886. The name came from a railroad civil engineer who named it for the merlins (a type of falcon) he saw in the area. "McAllister" post office was established about a mile north of Merlin in 1885, then moved to the vicinity of the railroad station and renamed Merlin in 1891.
Its first post office opened in 1891. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,615 to 1,690 (+5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Merlin, 1885 to 1982
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Merlin’s post office has been open since 1891. Another post office, McAllister, opened and closed inside today’s town.
McAllister
1885–1891
Merlin
1891–today
18801950today
Gone or out of use
McAllister Post Officepost office
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Merlin’s history
What year was Merlin founded?
The Merlin post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Merlin rank for history?
Merlin is more historic than 28% 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 Merlin?
One place: the Reed-Cobb-Bowser House and Barn (listed 2017).
How old are the homes in Merlin?
0.0% of Merlin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.1 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1989.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
1982
Date?
2018
2018
