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Downtown Sherwood, OregonPhoto: M.O. Stevens · Public domain
DHistory
History · Sherwood

Sherwood dates to 1889

More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #113 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it

Most of Sherwood was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1916 on, and the census since 1900.

1889founded
0on the National Register
0.9%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sherwood’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sherwood began

When was Sherwood founded?

1889

Sherwood dates its founding to 1889 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 111 in 19002020 census: 20,450137 years

How historic is Sherwood?

D

More historic than 13% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1889.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Sherwood’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sherwood is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #113 of 142 in Oregon. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sherwood’s overall grade.
Founding era1889, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19400.9% of homes (±0.6) · typical OR town 5.3% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical OR town 2.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 13%
NewerOlder
Oregon towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 21%

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 Sherwood’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (18% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1889.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Sherwood’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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19167 editions of the USGS map, 1916 to 1985. Watch Sherwood change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sherwood’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFMIB 47887 Many game birds perished fro…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Sherwood on the map, 1916 to 1985

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

Sherwood on the 1916 USGS mapSherwood on the 1939 USGS mapSherwood on the 1940 USGS mapSherwood on the 1954 USGS mapSherwood on the 1961 USGS mapSherwood on the 1970 USGS mapSherwood on the 1985 USGS map1916Tualatin sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sherwood.

The story

How Sherwood came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sherwood.

Read it all →

The name "Sherwood" came either after Sherwood Forest in England or Sherwood, Michigan In 1885, the Smocks gave a right-of-way on their property to the Portland and Willamette Valley Railway. The Smocks platted the town in 1889, the same year rail service began. Tradition has it that no one, not even the town's founders, liked the name "Smock Ville," and so a public meeting was held to rename the town. Robert Alexander, who was both a local resident and prominent businessman, suggested the name "Sherwood." According to post office records, Alexander was from Sherwood, Michigan, and also said the forest which surrounded the city was like Sherwood Forest in England. The U.S. Postal Department began sending mail to the Town of Sherwood, Oregon, on July 5, 1891. Smock was the first postmaster. The Town of Sherwood was incorporated under Oregon Senate Bill 36 in 1893.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Sherwood, 1889 to 1956

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889
    FoundingSherwood is established
  3. 1889Post officeThe Smockville post office opens
  4. 1891Post officeThe Smockville post office closes
  5. 1891Post officeThe Sherwood post office opens
  6. 1892Born hereDel Baker is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1916On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1917In the archiveFMIB 47887 Many game birds perished from hunger and cold last winter Many more would have…
  10. 1921Born hereGlenn Olds is born here
  11. 1956Born hereChuck Sun is born here
By decade

Sherwood, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
FMIB 47887 Many game birds perished from hunger and cold last winter Many more would have met the same fate had not the…1917FMIB 47887 Many game birds perished from hunger and c…
1920s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today11 recent
Snyder Park soccer field2009Snyder Park soccer fieldSnyder Park play structure2009Snyder Park play structureSHS track-playing fields2009SHS track-playing fieldsRailroad tracks - panoramio - dreid19872009Railroad tracks - panoramio - dreid1987Paths in Woodhaven2009Paths in WoodhavenOld mill2009Old millLooking down Sunset Blvd2009Looking down Sunset BlvdBike path2009Bike pathSherwood, Oregon newspaper2008Sherwood, Oregon newspaperDocumentORMap-doton-Sherwood2004ORMap-doton-SherwoodChevroletCamaroB4C-062003ChevroletCamaroB4C-06
Every building

Sherwood, building by building, 1921–1929

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.

Sherwood fire insurance map, 1921, sheet 11921Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

FMIB 47887 Many game birds perished from hunger and cold last winter Many more would have met the same fate had not the…
Retake this viewFMIB 47887 Many game birds perished from hunger and cold last winter Many more would have met the same fate had not the…, 1917

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Sherwood, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,000190019201940196019802000202020,450

Grew from 111 people in 1900 to 20,450 in 2020, more than tenfold.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Sherwood

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Del BakerAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1892
C
Chuck SunAmerican motorcycle racer · b. 1956
Glenn OldsAmerican academic administrator, government off… · b. 1921
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Sherwood’s post office has been open since 1891. Another post office, Smockville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Smockville
1889–1891
Sherwood
1891–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Six Corners
Gone or out of use
CipolelocaleFordlocaleRock CreeklocaleStewartlocaleUnion High Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sherwood
Maple LaneSaint Paul Lutheran

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Tualatin2 historic placesC−

Questions about Sherwood’s history

What year was Sherwood founded?

In 1889, according to Wikidata. Sherwood’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1900 counted 111 people here.

How does Sherwood rank for history?

Sherwood is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #113 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.

How old are the homes in Sherwood?

0.9% of Sherwood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1997.

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 (12), 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.