Aberdeen’s post office opened in 1884, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #17 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Its Register listings are the SIERRA (motor ship), the Hotel Morck and the Edward & Laura Hulbert House. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1890.
The Aberdeen post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Wishkah (1882), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,638 in 18902020 census: 17,013142 years
How historic is Aberdeen?
A−
More historic than 76% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Aberdeen post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Aberdeen’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Aberdeen is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #17 of 285 in Washington. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Aberdeen’s overall grade.
Few Washington towns list much on the Register (a typical Washington town has 0.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Aberdeen’s 1.8 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±5.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Aberdeen’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Aberdeen’s post office has been open since 1884. Another post office, Wishkah, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Wishkah
1882–1917
Aberdeen
1884–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bel-AireBroadway HeightsEast AberdeenHerbig HeightsLeisure Manor Mobile Home ParkNorth AberdeenPilgrim HeightsSouth Aberdeen
1cemetery inside Aberdeen
Fern Hill
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Aberdeen, building by building, 1889–1914
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.
Samuel Benn, a New York City native, established a homestead on the Chehalis River in 1859. He later platted a town at the site named Aberdeen. According to accounts collected by historian Edmond S. Meany, the name has two possible origins: from the Ilwaco-based Aberdeen Packing Company, which opened a cannery on the homestead in 1873; or from the Scottish city of Aberdeen, named by an early settler who had lived in Scotland. Like the Scottish city, Aberdeen is a port settlement situated at the mouth of two rivers—the Chehalis and the Wishkah. An earlier name for the settlement was Heraville, which was recorded by Benn.
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.
The Aberdeen post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Aberdeen rank for history?
Aberdeen is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #17 of 285 in Washington. 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 Aberdeen?
Three places: the SIERRA (motor ship) (listed 1978), the Hotel Morck (2016) and the Edward & Laura Hulbert House (2018).
How old are the homes in Aberdeen?
44% of Aberdeen’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1948.
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 (9), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
1900
1900
1903
1903
c. 1910
c. 1910
1911
1911
