The Beresford post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1884. Another post office, Paris (1879), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 2,180143 years
How historic is Beresford?
B+
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Beresford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1884.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Beresford’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Beresford is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Beresford’s overall grade.
South Dakota towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical South Dakota town has 37.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Beresford’s 25.4 sits near the middle of its state (60% of South Dakota towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% 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 (±5.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1884 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 Beresford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Beresford was originally called Paris, and under the latter name was laid out in 1873. The city was renamed after Lord Charles Beresford and was formally incorporated on July 12, 1884.
Following the end of the Civil War, thousands of people settled in Dakota Territory during the years 1871 and 1872. If certain requirements (laid out in the Homestead Act of 1862) were met, the government gave title to the land to the homesteaders. Those who settled faced many hardships; however, by settling and starting farms to transform the land into a productive agricultural area.
The Beresford post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1884.
How does Beresford rank for history?
Beresford is more historic than 70% 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 Beresford?
4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the J. W. Reedy House (listed 1984, the first). 6 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Beresford?
27% of Beresford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 10% for a South Dakota town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (3), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
2012
2010
2004