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–Not graded
History · Malden

Malden’s post office opened in 1908, and 52% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1903 on, and the census since 1910.

1908first post office
0on the National Register
52%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Malden’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Malden began

When was Malden founded?

1908

The Malden post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 798 in 19102020 census: 216118 years
Founding year: the first Malden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Malden’s past

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

A town in postcards18 old photos, postcards and papers, 1900–1930.Old housesHalf of Malden’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,005 in 1920; 216 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19033 editions of the USGS map, 1903 to 1986. Watch Malden change.
★ What stands out · By decade

Malden, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1910s14 items
Water tower, Malden, Washington, circa 1900-1909 - DPLA - 86f4b6f9c4576f83694ab016f1fecfa2c. 1900Water tower, Malden, Washington, circa 1900-1909 - DP…PostcardMain Street, Malden, Washington, 1901 - DPLA - 9d553d3df0d91e2e7c9a19ff6e930b871901Main Street, Malden, Washington, 1901 - DPLA - 9d553d…PostcardPine Creek, April 12, 19081908Pine Creek, April 12, 1908PostcardMain Street, Malden, Washington, 1910 - DPLA - e4df52fc0fab23f5f56867baaff9d6251910Main Street, Malden, Washington, 1910 - DPLA - e4df52…PostcardRailroad roundhouse, Malden, Washington, circa 1910 - DPLA - a1c229ce19362d17c11cff5fc2d1a333c. 1910Railroad roundhouse, Malden, Washington, circa 1910 -…PostcardSteam shovel of the C.M. and P.S. Railroad at Malden, Washington, circa 1910 - DPLA - 6094f8d56af403c929dcef3490bc3e3ec. 1910Steam shovel of the C.M. and P.S. Railroad at Malden,…PostcardMalden, Washington, 1911 - DPLA - 0d65fe6293717928f7382d828d9fec471911Malden, Washington, 1911 - DPLA - 0d65fe6293717928f73…PostcardOlympian passenger train, Malden, Washington, 1911 - DPLA - 99d217074cb33094b95fa366892909c61911Olympian passenger train, Malden, Washington, 1911 - …PostcardMalden, Washington (1912)1912Malden, Washington (1912)PostcardMalden, Washington, circa 1912 - DPLA - 1f71787dd4a5dd25535b2847018e045fc. 1912Malden, Washington, circa 1912 - DPLA - 1f71787dd4a5d…PostcardHodge Family, 19131913Hodge Family, 1913PostcardFire damage at the railroad roundhouse, Malden, Washington, 1915 - DPLA - 6994d4d349bd7029886805d22f06cc6a1915Fire damage at the railroad roundhouse, Malden, Washi…PostcardFire damage at the railroad roundhouse, Malden, Washington, 1915 - DPLA - c26b1bf27bb425927c4d09debfe01d4a1915Fire damage at the railroad roundhouse, Malden, Washi…PostcardMalden, Washington, circa 1915 - DPLA - fc6bc2176155270a4298ba10fe727122c. 1915Malden, Washington, circa 1915 - DPLA - fc6bc21761552…Postcard
1920s–1930s4 items
Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound railroad depot, Malden Washington, circa 1920 - DPLA - 32657dcd165b4d1ce4d1581735b0de69c. 1920Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound railroad depot, Mald…PostcardDefenders of U.S.A. marching through Malden, Washington, circa 1920 - DPLA - 4849c2ceb597e9ade58473ded5328971c. 1920Defenders of U.S.A. marching through Malden, Washingt…PostcardEmpire Hotel, Malden, Washington, circa 1920 - DPLA - c97361f06b4473c60482636ad696b5aac. 1920Empire Hotel, Malden, Washington, circa 1920 - DPLA -…PostcardHole in the Ground near Malden, Washington, circa 1930 - DPLA - 63eab6b31f4ec26bd55fc0eb2ae00ad7c. 1930Hole in the Ground near Malden, Washington, circa 193…Postcard
1940s–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
The story

How Malden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Malden.

Read it all →

Malden was officially incorporated on December 20, 1909. Established as a station stop, it was named by railway officials after Malden, Massachusetts. The rural town had a small population.

On September 7, 2020, a large wildfire destroyed approximately 80 percent of buildings in Malden and nearby Pine City. The town's fire station, post office, city hall, library, Masonic Lodge, and several houses were among the buildings destroyed. Most of the town's population was evacuated as the fire approached, while access after the fire was restricted due to a leaking propane tank.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Malden, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,005

Peaked at 1,005 in 1920; 216 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Timeline

Malden, 1900 to 1930

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1900In the archiveWater tower, Malden, Washington, circa 1900-1909 - DPLA - 86f4b6f9c4576f83694ab016f1fecfa2
  3. 1903On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1908Post officeThe Malden post office opens
  5. 1910In the archiveMain Street, Malden, Washington, 1910 - DPLA - e4df52fc0fab23f5f56867baaff9d625
  6. 1920In the archiveChicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound railroad depot, Malden Washington, circa 1920 - DPLA - 3…
  7. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 1,005
  8. 1930In the archiveHole in the Ground near Malden, Washington, circa 1930 - DPLA - 63eab6b31f4ec26bd55fc0eb2…
On the map

Malden on the map, 1903 to 1986

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

Malden on the 1903 USGS mapMalden on the 1964 USGS mapMalden on the 1986 USGS map1903Oakesdale sheet · 1:125,000

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

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.

Water tower, Malden, Washington, circa 1900-1909 - DPLA - 86f4b6f9c4576f83694ab016f1fecfa2
Retake this viewWater tower, Malden, Washington, circa 1900-1909 - DPLA - 86f4b6f9c4576f83694ab016f1fecfa2, c. 1900

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Malden

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

See all →
S
Sydney SweeneyAmerican actress · b. 1997
John StocktonAmerican basketball player · b. 1962
Chuck JonesAmerican animator and filmmaker · b. 1912
Craig T. NelsonAmerican actor and comedian · b. 1944
Anne McClainAmerican astronaut · b. 1979
Susan PetersAmerican actress · b. 1921
Help out

Finish Malden’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewWater tower, Malden, Washington, circa …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Malden’s history

What year was Malden founded?

The Malden post office opened in 1908, 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 →
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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (18), Wikipedia, 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.