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History · Hampden

Hampden’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold just one old photo of Hampden. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1903established
1old images & papers
1need a date
Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, Nekoma, Cavalier County, ND · Library of Congress

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Hampden is a city in Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 29 as of the 2020 census, and was estimated at 28 in 2025.

Hampden was established in 1903. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 48 to 29 (-40%). Half of its homes were built before 1965.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hampden yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Hampden’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🗓️Date a photo1 archive item has no date+2 🔁Retake an old viewStanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Co…: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Hampden

See all 1 →
OHOliver HodnefieldNotable
By decade

Hampden, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Date
unknown1 item
Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, Nekoma, Cavalier County, NDLOCDate?Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, Nekoma, Cavalier Co…
Today11 photos
Hampden, North DakotaCommonsHampden, North Dakota2009Hampden, North DakotaCommonsHampden, North Dakota2009Hampden, North DakotaCommonsHampden, North Dakota2009Hampden, North DakotaCommonsHampden, North Dakota2009Hampden, North DakotaCommonsHampden, North Dakota2009Hampden, North DakotaCommonsHampden, North Dakota2009Hampden, North DakotaCommonsHampden, North Dakota2009Hampden, North DakotaCommonsHampden, North Dakota2009Hampden, North DakotaCommonsHampden, North Dakota2009Hampden, North DakotaCommonsHampden, North Dakota2009Hampden Fire Department Hampden, North Dakota 7-19-2009CommonsHampden Fire Department Hampden, North Dakota 7-19-20092009
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Hampden is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Hampden has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Sons of Jacob Cemetery in Sullivan, 11.4 miles away.

Hampden and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Hampden. Tap a dot.
Sons of Jacob CemeteryRoxy TheatreUS Post Office-Langdon

Closest to Hampden

Sons of Jacob CemeterySullivan · Built 188311.4miRoxy TheatreLangdon · Building20miUS Post Office-LangdonLangdon · Building20.1mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Sons of Jacob Cemetery’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Hampden?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Hampden’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, Nekoma, Cavalier County, ND and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Northfield📜 Storlie📜 Banner📜 Alsen

From Wikimedia Commons (11) and the Library of Congress (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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