diff --git a/src/pynwb/__init__.py b/src/pynwb/__init__.py
index ec6e9a186a..d6cb43349d 100644
--- a/src/pynwb/__init__.py
+++ b/src/pynwb/__init__.py
@@ -245,6 +245,15 @@ def __init__(self, **kwargs):
                 manager = get_manager()
         super(NWBHDF5IO, self).__init__(path, manager=manager, mode=mode, file=file_obj, comm=comm)
 
+    def read(self, **kwargs):
+
+        nwbfile = super().read(**kwargs)
+
+        if self.mode != 'r':
+            nwbfile._appendModificationEntry()
+
+        return nwbfile
+
 
 from . import io as __io  # noqa: F401,E402
 from .core import NWBContainer, NWBData  # noqa: F401,E402
diff --git a/src/pynwb/file.py b/src/pynwb/file.py
index e44d688a2d..5bc46f0c20 100644
--- a/src/pynwb/file.py
+++ b/src/pynwb/file.py
@@ -685,6 +685,13 @@ def copy(self):
 
         return NWBFile(**kwargs)
 
+    def _appendModificationEntry(self):
+        """
+        Append an entry with the current timestamp to the file_create_date array
+        """
+
+        self.fields['file_create_date'].append(datetime.now(tzlocal()))
+
 
 def _add_missing_timezone(date):
     """
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_file.py b/tests/unit/test_file.py
index 57f7b285a2..8adb8701a3 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_file.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_file.py
@@ -468,3 +468,46 @@ def test_reftime_tzaware(self):
                     'TEST124',
                     self.start_time,
                     timestamps_reference_time=self.ref_time_notz)
+
+
+class TestFileCreateDateArray(TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.path = 'unittest_file_create_date.nwb'
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        if os.path.exists(self.path):
+            os.remove(self.path)
+
+    def test_simple(self):
+        file_create_date = datetime.now(tzlocal())
+        nwbfile_init = NWBFile(' ', ' ',
+                               datetime.now(tzlocal()),
+                               file_create_date=file_create_date,
+                               institution='Rixdorf University, Berlin')
+
+        self.assertEqual(nwbfile_init.file_create_date, [file_create_date])
+        self.assertEqual(len(nwbfile_init.file_create_date), 1)
+
+        with NWBHDF5IO(self.path, 'w') as io:
+            io.write(nwbfile_init)
+
+        with NWBHDF5IO(self.path, 'r') as reader:
+            nwbfile = reader.read()
+
+            # no change as it was opened read-only
+            self.assertEqual(len(nwbfile.file_create_date), 1)
+
+        with NWBHDF5IO(self.path, 'r+') as writer:
+            nwbfile = writer.read()
+
+            # added one more entry as opened read/write
+            self.assertEqual(len(nwbfile.file_create_date), 2)
+
+            writer.write(nwbfile)
+
+        with NWBHDF5IO(self.path, 'r') as reader:
+            nwbfile = reader.read()
+
+            # reopen again to check that it has still two entries
+            self.assertEqual(len(nwbfile.file_create_date), 2)