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History · Modest Town

Modest Town’s post office opened in 1822, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1942 on.

1822first post office
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
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Photo: self · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Modest Town began

When was Modest Town founded?

1822

The Modest Town post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 120204 years
Founding year: the first Modest Town post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Modest Town’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Modest Town are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1822: 204 years of Modest Town.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Modest Town’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Modest Town came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Modest Town.

Read it all →

The origin of the name "Modest Town" is obscure. In the mid-19th century, it was a point along the stagecoach route between Wilmington, Delaware and Eastville, Virginia.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Modest Town, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Small commercial district in Modest Town2018Small commercial district in Modest TownModest house in Modest Town (ha)2018Modest house in Modest Town (ha)Modest Town Baptist Church, taken from the parking lot2018Modest Town Baptist Church, taken from the parking lotEntering the town of Modest Town2018Entering the town of Modest Town
On the map

Modest Town on the map, 1942 to 1979

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

Modest Town on the 1942 USGS mapModest Town on the 1968 USGS mapModest Town on the 1979 USGS map1942Mappsville sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Modest Town

Nobody well known was born in Modest Town itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Henry A. WiseUnited States Congressman and governor of Virgi… · b. 1806
Charles I. StengleAmerican politician · b. 1869
Thomas H. B. BrowneAmerican politician · b. 1844
Edward Southey JoynesAmerican scholar · b. 1834
J
Josh NolzAmerican soccer player · b. 1980
B
Barbara Bohannan-SheppardAmerican politician · b. 1950

Questions about Modest Town’s history

What year was Modest Town founded?

The Modest Town post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.