Newberg’s post office opened in 1869, and 13 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 44% of U.S. towns · #56 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Newberg was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1890.
The Newberg post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1889. Another post office, Springbrook (1893), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 514 in 18902020 census: 25,138157 years
How historic is Newberg?
C+
More historic than 44% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Newberg post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1889.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Newberg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newberg is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #56 of 142 in Oregon. 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 Newberg’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 Newberg’s 8.4 sits above most of its state (65% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 22 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1889 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 Newberg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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 year, then a sheet.
Ewing Young, after leading pioneering fur brigades in California, came to Portland in 1834 and settled on the west bank of the Willamette River near the mouth of Chehalem Creek, opposite of Champoeg. Young's home is believed to be the first house built by European-Americans on that side of the river. Later, Joseph Rogers settled near the Willamette River at what is now Newberg in 1848. The community was known early on as Chehalem, and later as Roger's Landing for Rogers who founded the settlement, and who died in 1855. In 1883, the community was platted. Incorporated in 1889, a community tradition states that this town was named by its first postmaster, Sebastian Brutscher, for his former hometown of Neuberg in Germany. One of the current streets, Brutscher Street, is named after Brutscher.
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.
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.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Newberg’s post office has been open since 1869. Another post office, Springbrook, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Newberg
1869–today
Springbrook
1893–1953
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Springbrook
Gone or out of use
BenbowlocaleCentral SchoolschoolMeridianlocaleSpringbrook Middle SchoolschoolSpringbrook Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Newberg
G A R
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Newberg’s history
What year was Newberg founded?
The Newberg post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1889.
How does Newberg rank for history?
Newberg is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #56 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 Newberg?
13 listings: 11 buildings, among them the Jesse Edwards House (listed 1980, the first), and 2 sites. 22 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Newberg?
5% of Newberg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 (8), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (13), 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 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.
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