The Freeland post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Newell (1895), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,252125 years
How historic is Freeland?
D
More historic than 12% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Freeland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Freeland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Freeland is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Freeland’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 Freeland’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (27% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 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 Freeland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Some Equality Colony dissidents, led by George Washington Daniels, incorporated the Free Land Association in 1900 and established the colony on land they purchased through James P. Gleason of the Fidelity Trust company. Members purchased dividend-paying shares in the association store fund and the machinery fund. The association store operated according to Rochdale Principles, and shares in the store were sold to non-residents as well as association members. Because members could pay for their land with dividends from their shares, the founders considered the land to be "free". By 1902, however, the colony announced that new settlers would have to purchase land outright, as the idealistic land-financing plan based on share dividends had not worked.
Freeland’s post office has been open since 1901. Another post office, Newell, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Newell
1895–1904
Freeland
1901–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Harbor CenterHolmes Harbor Mobile Home Court
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Freeland’s history
What year was Freeland founded?
The Freeland post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Freeland rank for history?
Freeland is more historic than 12% 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.
How old are the homes in Freeland?
5% of Freeland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 (2), 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.
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