Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Middletown

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
AHistory
History · Middletown

Middletown dates to 1796, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 86% of U.S. towns. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove, a National Historic Landmark, and three historic districts with 240 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1923 on, and the census since 1880.

1796founded
5on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Middletown’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Middletown began

When was Middletown founded?

1796

Middletown dates its founding to 1796 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 372 in 18802020 census: 1,355230 years

How historic is Middletown?

A

More historic than 86% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1813.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Middletown’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Middletown is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Middletown’s overall grade.
Founding era1796, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194010.4% of homes (±4.4) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register5 listings, 247 historic buildings, 1,383 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 86%
NewerOlder

Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Middletown’s 1,383 sits above most of its state (98% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 247 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% 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 (±4.4 points). Two sources give 1796.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Middletown’s past

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

A historic districtThe Middletown Historic District takes in 234 historic buildings.A National Historic Landmark5 places on the National Register, including Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove, a National Historic Landmark.Deep rootsEstablished in 1796: 230 years of Middletown.On the map since 19237 editions of the USGS map, 1923 to 1999. Watch Middletown change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

5 listings protect 247 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmark
1
Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove
historic buildings protected
247
each building in a district counts
first listed
1969
Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove
St. Thomas ChapelMonte VistaMiddletown Historic DistrictThorndale FarmCedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove, built 2002★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Gothic Revival2
Classical Revival1
Greek Revival1
Italianate1
Queen Anne1
Colonial Revival1
★ Landmark
Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle GroveClassical Revival · Built 2002
St. Thomas ChapelGothic Revival
Monte VistaBuilding
Middletown Historic DistrictGreek Revival
Thorndale FarmDistrict

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

Timeline

Middletown, 1796 to 2002

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1796
    FoundingMiddletown is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1813Post officeThe Middletown post office opens
  5. 1847Born hereT. M. Turner is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1910Born hereEdward Eugene Willey, Sr. is born here
  8. 1923On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1933In the archiveStone House, Middle Marsh Brook
  10. 1969LandmarkCedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove named a National Historic Landmark
  11. 1980In the archiveManor House at Belle Grove
  12. 21st century
  13. 2002BuiltCedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove is built
The story

How Middletown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Middletown.

Read it all →

Middletown was chartered on May 4, 1796. Some of the first documentation of early Middletown dates back to the late 18th century and is attributed to Dr. Peter Senseney and his wife Magdelen, two German settlers who had migrated from Pennsylvania. The town was originally known as "Senseney Town", a piece of land within the 17th century Fairfax Grant and gifted to the allies for siding with England during the civil war in the 1600s.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Middletown, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s3 items
Stone House, Middle Marsh Brook1933Stone House, Middle Marsh BrookStone House, Middle Marsh Brook1933Stone House, Middle Marsh BrookStone House, Middle Marsh Brook1933Stone House, Middle Marsh Brook
1940s–1970snothing 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
1980s2 items
Manor House at Belle Grove1980Manor House at Belle GroveThe 1797 Belle Grove manor house1980The 1797 Belle Grove manor house
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
Today19 recent
Virginia Scenery2013Virginia SceneryRudbeckia hirta2013Rudbeckia hirtaRudbeckia bunch2013Rudbeckia bunchOrange in2013Orange inMiniature horse in2013Miniature horse inMiddletown historical marker2013Middletown historical markerMiddletown hay2013Middletown hayHot air balloon over2013Hot air balloon overGold on Blue2013Gold on BlueField in2013Field inDead Black-eyed Susan2013Dead Black-eyed SusanBlue Christmas2013Blue ChristmasBlack Eyed Susan2013Black Eyed SusanArgiope aurantia shadow2013Argiope aurantia shadowArgiope aurantia2013Argiope aurantiaMushrooms in2012Mushrooms inLimestone Mines at Cedar Creek2008Limestone Mines at Cedar CreekGolden Apples2008Golden ApplesVAMap-doton-Middletown2005VAMap-doton-Middletown
On the map

Middletown on the map, 1923 to 1999

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

Middletown on the 1923 USGS mapMiddletown on the 1937 USGS mapMiddletown on the 1943 USGS mapMiddletown on the 1966 USGS mapMiddletown on the 1972 USGS mapMiddletown on the 1986 USGS mapMiddletown on the 1999 USGS map1923Middletown 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 Middletown.

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.

Stone House, Middle Marsh Brook
Retake this viewStone House, Middle Marsh Brook, 1933

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Middletown, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,400188019001920194019601980200020201,355

Grew from 372 people in 1880 to 1,355 in 2020, 3 times over.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Middletown

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

See all →
T. M. TurnerAmerican composer · b. 1847
Edward Eugene Willey, Sr.American politician · b. 1910
Help out

Finish Middletown’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewStone House, Middle Marsh Brook: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Middletown’s history

What year was Middletown founded?

In 1796, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Middletown’s post office opened in 1813, and the census of 1880 counted 372 people here.

How does Middletown rank for history?

Middletown is more historic than 86% 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 Middletown?

5 listings: 2 buildings and 3 historic districts, the Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove, the Middletown Historic District and the Thorndale Farm, with 240 contributing buildings. 247 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Middletown?

10% of Middletown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1983.

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 (22), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.