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AHistory
History · Barkhamsted

Barkhamsted dates to 1779, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 85% of U.S. towns · #71 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

7 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 87 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1820.

1779founded
7on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Barkhamsted’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Barkhamsted began

When was Barkhamsted founded?

1779

Barkhamsted dates its founding to 1779 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 1,592 in 1820247 years

How historic is Barkhamsted?

A

More historic than 85% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1813.
History grade

What drives Barkhamsted’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Barkhamsted is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #71 of 155 in Connecticut. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Barkhamsted’s overall grade.
Founding era1779, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194014.3% of homes (±8.7) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register7 listings, 92 historic buildings, 250 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 85%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 55%

Connecticut towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Connecticut town has 73.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Barkhamsted’s 250 sits above most of its state (80% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 92 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% 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 (±8.7 points). Two sources give 1779.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Barkhamsted’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1820 and 1930, then grew 5-fold.A historic districtThe Riverton Historic District takes in 78 historic buildings.On the map since 18924 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1984. Watch Barkhamsted change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Barkhamsted’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo3 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Barkhamsted, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,00018501900195020001,592 in 1820Low: 697

Lost half of its people between 1820 and 1930, then grew 5-fold.

19 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

On the National Register

7 listings protect 92 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
92
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Union Church/St. Paul's Church
Union Church/St. Paul's ChurchAmerican Legion Forest CCC Shelter, built 1935Peoples Forest MuseumOld Riverton InnWilliam Moore Jr. HouseBarkhamsted Center Historic DistrictRiverton Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival3
Federal3
Gothic Revival2
Postmedieval English2
Adirondack Rustic1
Rustic1
Union Church/St. Paul's ChurchGreek Revival
American Legion Forest CCC ShelterAdirondack Rustic · Built 1935
Peoples Forest MuseumRustic
Old Riverton InnFederal
William Moore Jr. HouseFederal
Barkhamsted Center Historic DistrictPostmedieval English
Riverton Historic DistrictPostmedieval English

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story so far

Barkhamsted, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Barkhamsted yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Barkhamsted ( bark-HAM-sted) is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It contains seven villages: West Hill, Mallory, Barkhamsted Center, Center Hill, Washington Hill, Pleasant Valley, and Riverton. The population was 3,647 at the 2020 census, down from 3,799 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. Barkhamsted was first incorporated in 1779, and named after Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England.

Barkhamsted was established in 1779.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Barkhamsted, 1779 to 2010

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1779
    FoundingBarkhamsted is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1813Post officeThe Barkhamsted post office opens
  5. 1822Born hereStiles P. Jones is born here
  6. 1828Post officeThe Hitchcockville post office opens
  7. 1835Post officeThe Pleasant Valley post office opens
  8. 1865Post officeThe Hitchcockville post office closes
  9. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Litchfield County - Barkhamsted - E…
  10. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 20th century
  12. 1935BuiltAmerican Legion Forest CCC Shelter is built
  13. 1949Post officeThe Barkhamsted post office closes
  14. 21st century
  15. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 3,799
By decade

Barkhamsted, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s1 item
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Litchfield County - Barkhamsted - ED 3-1, ED 3-218801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut -…
1890s–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
Date unknown3 to date
Historic American Buildings Survey (Fed.) Stanley P. Mixon, Photographer Sept 16, 1940 (A) EXTERIOR, GENERAL VIEW FROM …Date?Historic American Buildings Survey (Fed.) Stanley P. …Historic American Buildings Survey (Fed.) Stanley P. Mixon, Photographer Sept 16, 1940 (B) EXTERIOR, DETIAL OF ENTRANCE…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey (Fed.) Stanley P. …Historic American Buildings Survey (Fed.) Stanley P. Mixon, Photographer Sept. 16, 1940 (C0 INTERIOR, DETAIL OF ARCHWAY…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey (Fed.) Stanley P. …
Today7 recent
CT Route 318 West2024CT Route 318 WestCT Route 219 North2024CT Route 219 NorthWashington Hill Methodist2020Washington Hill MethodistUS-CT-Barkhamsted2016US-CT-BarkhamstedBarkhamstedCT TownHall2016BarkhamstedCT TownHallLakeMcdonoughFromTunxisTrail2010LakeMcdonoughFromTunxisTrailBarkhamsted CT lg2010Barkhamsted CT lg
On the map

Barkhamsted on the map, 1892 to 1984

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

Barkhamsted on the 1892 USGS mapBarkhamsted on the 1956 USGS mapBarkhamsted on the 1971 USGS mapBarkhamsted on the 1984 USGS map1892Granby sheet · 1:62,500

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

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.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Litchfield County - Barkhamsted - ED 3-1, ED 3-2
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Litchfield County - Barkhamsted - ED 3-1, ED 3-2, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Barkhamsted had its own post office from 1813 to 1949. Another post office, Hitchcockville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Barkhamsted
1813–1949
Hitchcockville
1828–1865
Pleasant Valley
1835–today
Riverton
1865–today
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Barkhampsted CenterPleasant ValleyRiverton
Gone or out of use
Rogers Cornerslocale
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Barkhamsted
BarkhamstedRiversideRiverton

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

New Hartford5 historic placesA+Hartland2 historic placesA−Winchester9 historic placesAGranby8 historic placesA−Winsted8 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCanton3 historic placesANew Hartford Center2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Barkhamsted’s history

What year was Barkhamsted founded?

In 1779, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Barkhamsted’s post office opened in 1813, and the census of 1820 counted 1,592 people here.

How does Barkhamsted rank for history?

Barkhamsted is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #71 of 155 in Connecticut. 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 Barkhamsted?

7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Union Church/St. Paul's Church (listed 1985, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Barkhamsted Center Historic District and the Riverton Historic District, with 87 contributing buildings. 92 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Barkhamsted?

14% of Barkhamsted’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.7 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1978.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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) 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.