Silverton dates to 1854, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 77% of U.S. towns · #14 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
11 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 27 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1854.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Silverton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Silverton is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #14 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Silverton’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 Silverton’s 36.3 sits above most of its state (88% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 38 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 points). Two sources give 1854.
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 Silverton’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.
The first white settlers arrived at Silver Creek in the 1800s. Two settlers, James Smith and John Barger created a sawmill along the creek in 1846. The town was originally known as Milford. In 1854, the town was abandoned and the settlers moved downstream to the current spot of Silverton. The town was first known as Silver Creek but the name was changed a year later. The town expanded and grew and was incorporated in 1885. The town now housed about 229 people. The town continued to grow until now, where it now has over 10,000 people.
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.
Silverton’s post office has been open since 1855. Another post office, Silver Creek, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Silver Creek
1854–1855
Silverton
1855–today
18501940today
Gone or out of use
Saint Pauls SchoolschoolSilver Creek Post Officepost office
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Silverton’s history
What year was Silverton founded?
In 1854, according to Wikidata. Silverton’s post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1880 counted 229 people here.
How does Silverton rank for history?
Silverton is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #14 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 Silverton?
11 listings: 9 buildings, 1 historic district, the Silverton Commercial Historic District, with 27 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 38 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Silverton?
23% of Silverton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (11), 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.
1907
1907
1907
