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B−History
History · Philomath

Philomath’s post office opened in 1868, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #49 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it

Its Register listings are the George W. Bethers House and the Philomath College. Its Register listings are the George W. Bethers House and the Philomath College. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1913 on, and the census since 1880.

1868first post office
2on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Philomath’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Philomath began

When was Philomath founded?

1868

The Philomath post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1882.

First census: 224 in 18802020 census: 5,350158 years

How historic is Philomath?

B−

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Philomath post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1882.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Philomath’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Philomath is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #49 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Philomath’s overall grade.
Founding era1868, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194012.0% of homes (±5.4) · typical OR town 5.3% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register2 listings, 3 historic buildings, 5.3 per 10,000 residents · typical OR town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 50%
NewerOlder
Oregon towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 66%

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 Philomath’s 5.3 sits near the middle of its state (56% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±5.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1882 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 Philomath’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19137 editions of the USGS map, 1913 to 1986. Watch Philomath change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Philomath’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Philomath’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo3 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewGeorge W. Bethers House Philmoath: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Philomath on the map, 1913 to 1986

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

Philomath on the 1913 USGS mapPhilomath on the 1921 USGS mapPhilomath on the 1942 USGS mapPhilomath on the 1956 USGS mapPhilomath on the 1969 USGS mapPhilomath on the 1975 USGS mapPhilomath on the 1986 USGS map1913Philomath 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 Philomath.

The story

How Philomath came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Philomath.

Read it all →

Philomath was named after the Philomath College which was founded in 1867 by the United Brethren Church. The college opened its doors in October of that year, with enrollment the first day at about 100. The first teachers were Joseph Hannon, who acted as principal, and Elisha Woodward, teacher in the primary department. The name of the college and city was derived from two Greek words meaning "lover of learning". The city was incorporated on October 20, 1882. The college closed in 1929 due to a dramatic decline in enrollment.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Philomath, 1868 to 1981

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868Post officeThe Philomath post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1913On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1981Born hereTerry Boss is born here
By decade

Philomath, decade by decade

Date unknown3 to date
George W. Bethers House PhilmoathDate?George W. Bethers House PhilmoathGeorge W. Bethers SignDate?George W. Bethers SignPhilomath CollegeDate?Philomath College
Today13 recent
Sunset - panoramio (378)2014Sunset - panoramio (378)Moring Sky2014Moring SkyLandscape - panoramio (65)2014Landscape - panoramio (65)CATTAILS2014CATTAILSIndependent School listed on the National Register of Historic Places2013Independent School listed on the National Register of…Fire helmets2013Fire helmetsSunset2011SunsetGoodfoot Farm, Beth Hoinacki2011Goodfoot Farm, Beth HoinackiGoodfoot Farm, Beth Hoinacki2011Goodfoot Farm, Beth HoinackiGoodfoot Farm, Beth Hoinacki2011Goodfoot Farm, Beth HoinackiGoodfoot Farm, Beth Hoinacki2011Goodfoot Farm, Beth HoinackiORMap-doton-Philomath2004ORMap-doton-PhilomathMeet'N Place Tavern sign2003Meet'N Place Tavern sign
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.

George W. Bethers House Philmoath
Retake this viewGeorge W. Bethers House Philmoath

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Philomath

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
Philomath College
George W. Bethers HousePhilomath College
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian1
Rural Gothic1
Vernacular1
George W. Bethers HouseLate Victorian
All 2 listings
Philomath CollegeBuilding · listed 1972

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

People over time

Philomath, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,500188019001920194019601980200020205,350

Grew from 224 people in 1880 to 5,350 in 2020, more than tenfold.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Philomath’s post office has been open since 1868.

Gone or out of use
Nazarene Christian SchoolschoolSkirvin Air Parkairport

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

Questions about Philomath’s history

What year was Philomath founded?

The Philomath post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1882.

How does Philomath rank for history?

Philomath is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #49 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 Philomath?

Two places: the George W. Bethers House (listed 1997) and the Philomath College (1972).

How old are the homes in Philomath?

12% of Philomath’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1991.

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 (16), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.