Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Berlin

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
B+History
History · Berlin

Berlin dates to 1785, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 72% of U.S. towns · #112 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 92 buildings. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1790.

1785founded
5on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
11famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Berlin’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Berlin began

When was Berlin founded?

1785

Berlin dates its founding to 1785 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 2,465 in 1790241 years

How historic is Berlin?

B+

More historic than 72% 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: 1799.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Berlin’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Berlin is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #112 of 155 in Connecticut. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Berlin’s overall grade.
Founding era1785, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194011.1% of homes (±3.3) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register5 listings, 97 historic buildings, 47.6 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 72%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 28%

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 Berlin’s 47.6 sits near the middle of its state (38% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 97 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 (±3.3 points). Two sources give 1785.

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 Berlin’s past

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

A historic districtThe Worthington Ridge Historic District takes in 92 historic buildings.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1840 and 1850, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 18936 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1984. Watch Berlin change.A town in postcards18 old photos, postcards and papers, 1906–1939.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

5 listings protect 97 historic buildings

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

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
97
each building in a district counts
first listed
1977
Ezekiel Kelsey House
Ezekiel Kelsey House, built 1750Henry Hooker HouseWorthington Ridge Historic DistrictKensington Soldier's MonumentKensington Grammar School-Jean E. Hooker High School
BuildingsDistrictsObjects

Architectural styles listings

Saltbox1
Postmedieval English1
Greek Revival1
Italian Villa1
Gothic Revival1
Gothic1
Ezekiel Kelsey HouseSaltbox · Built 1750
Henry Hooker HouseBuilding
Worthington Ridge Historic DistrictPostmedieval English
Kensington Soldier's MonumentObject
All 5 listings
Kensington Grammar School-Jean E. Hooker High SchoolBuilding · listed 2012

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

People over time

Berlin, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,000180018501900195020003,411 in 1840Low: 1,869

Lost half of its people between 1840 and 1850, then grew more than tenfold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

On the map

Berlin on the map, 1893 to 1984

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

Berlin on the 1893 USGS mapBerlin on the 1945 USGS mapBerlin on the 1952 USGS mapBerlin on the 1965 USGS mapBerlin on the 1972 USGS mapBerlin on the 1984 USGS map1893Middletown 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 Berlin.

The story

How Berlin came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Berlin.

Read it all →

The town took parts away from Wethersfield (Now Rocky Hill and Newington), Middletown (Now Cromwell), Wallingford (Now Meriden) and Farmington (Now Southington and New Britain). Berlin was one of the birthplaces of interchangeable parts manufacturing and of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, in the workshop of Simeon North. The town was formerly known as Kensington.

In 1659, Sergeant Richard Beckley purchased 300 acres from Chief Tarramuggus, built a home for his family and became the first settler in what was to become Berlin. Other families slowly followed, and in 1686, Captain Richard Seymour led a group of families from Farmington to begin the first settlement on Christian Lane.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Berlin in 1889

Passages that mention Berlin, cut from the printed page as they were published.

By the division of the old town of Berlin in 1850 the original parishes of Kensington and Worthington were constituted a new town, with the old name of Berlin. Berlin as thus constituted is bounded on the north by New Britain and Newington ; on the east by Rocky Hill, Cromwell, and Middletown ; on …
History of New Britain, with sketches of Farmington and Berlin, Connecticut. 1640-18891889 · page 209Read the page →
Read the text

By the division of the old town of Berlin in 1850 the original parishes of Kensington and Worthington were constituted a new town, with the old name of Berlin. Berlin as thus constituted is bounded on the north by New Britain and Newington ; on the east by Rocky Hill, Cromwell, and Middletown ; on the south by Middletown and Meriden ; and on the west by Southington. Its average length and breadth are each a little more than five miles, and the area is a little

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1850, when New Britain ceased to be a parish or society in the old town of Berlin, and became itself, in law, the town of wliich it before was but a part, a few leading industries had become firmly established. The fostering care which they received, under the impulse given by the incorporation …
History of New Britain, with sketches of Farmington and Berlin, Connecticut. 1640-18891889 · page 285Read the page →
Read the text

In 1850, when New Britain ceased to be a parish or society in the old town of Berlin, and became itself, in law, the town of wliich it before was but a part, a few leading industries had become firmly established. The fostering care which they received, under the impulse given by the incorporation of the town, led to their further development.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Berlin, 1750 to 2020

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1750BuiltEzekiel Kelsey House is built
  3. 1785
    FoundingBerlin is established
  4. 1787Born hereEmma Willard is born here
  5. 1793Born hereAlmira Hart Lincoln Phelps is born here
  6. 1795Born hereJames Gates Percival is born here
  7. 1799Post officeThe Berlin post office opens
  8. 19th century
  9. 1840Post officeThe Kensington post office opens
  10. 1843Born hereTownshend Stith Brandegee is born here
  11. 1852Post officeThe East Berlin post office opens
  12. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 20th century
  14. 1906In the archiveBerlin station 1906 postcard
  15. 1915In the archiveMain Street in Berlin with streetcar - postcard
  16. 1930In the archiveAroma Tourist Court, on Wilbur Cross Highway, Berlin, Conn (81935)
  17. 1956Post officeThe Berlin post office closes
  18. 21st century
  19. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 20,175
By decade

Berlin, decade by decade

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

1900s–1930s18 items
Berlin station 1906 postcardc. 1906Berlin station 1906 postcardPostcardBeckley Milling Company with freight platform - postcardc. 1907Beckley Milling Company with freight platform - postc…PostcardMain Street in Berlin with streetcar - postcard1915–1927Main Street in Berlin with streetcar - postcardPostcardAroma Tourist Court, on Wilbur Cross Highway, Berlin, Conn (81935)c. 1930Aroma Tourist Court, on Wilbur Cross Highway, Berlin,…PostcardBerlin Arms (83726)c. 1930Berlin Arms (83726)PostcardBerlin Arms Motel, Wilbur Cross Highway -- Routes U.S. 5 and Conn. 15, Berlin, Conn (88957)c. 1930Berlin Arms Motel, Wilbur Cross Highway -- Routes U.S…PostcardIdeal Motel Restaurant (83938)c. 1930Ideal Motel Restaurant (83938)PostcardMakris Diner (83761)c. 1930Makris Diner (83761)PostcardRed Cedars Hotel Court, Berlin, Conn (78753)c. 1930Red Cedars Hotel Court, Berlin, Conn (78753)PostcardRidgeway Restaurant (85121)c. 1930Ridgeway Restaurant (85121)PostcardThe Little Village Motel and Gift Shop (82720)c. 1930The Little Village Motel and Gift Shop (82720)PostcardWonder Bar Restaurant and Nite Club on route 5, Berlin, Conn (82646)c. 1930Wonder Bar Restaurant and Nite Club on route 5, Berli…PostcardTobacco near Berlin, Connecticut1939Tobacco near Berlin, ConnecticutPumpkins near Berlin, Connecticut1939Pumpkins near Berlin, ConnecticutFlowering tobacco near Berlin, Connecticut1939Flowering tobacco near Berlin, ConnecticutHubbard squash near Berlin, Connecticut1939Hubbard squash near Berlin, ConnecticutPumpkins and turnips near Berlin, Connecticut1939Pumpkins and turnips near Berlin, ConnecticutIce cream advertising near Berlin, Connecticut1939Ice cream advertising near Berlin, Connecticut
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
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.

Berlin station 1906 postcard
Retake this viewBerlin station 1906 postcard, c. 1906

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

11 famous people were born in Berlin

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Emma WillardAmerican educator and women's rights activist, … · b. 1787
Almira Hart Lincoln PhelpsAmerican educator, botanist, author · b. 1793
T
Townshend Stith BrandegeeAmerican botanist · b. 1843
James Gates PercivalAmerican geologist, poet, and surgeon · b. 1795
L
Luann de LessepsAmerican reality television personality, model,… · b. 1965
Richard D. HubbardAmerican politician · b. 1818
Places that used to be

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

Berlin had its own post office from 1799 to 1956. Another post office, Beckley, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Berlin
1799–1956
Kensington
1840–today
East Berlin
1852–today
Beckley
1893–1928
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
East BerlinKensingtonTurkey Hill
Gone or out of use
Ledge Schoolschool
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside Berlin
Blue HillsBridgeChristian LaneDunhamMaple GroveSouth Burying GroundWilcox

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

Help out

Finish Berlin’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBerlin station 1906 postcard: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Cromwell3 historic placesBSouthington39 historic placesA−Meriden12 historic placesA−New Britain21 historic placesAKensington4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMiddletown35 historic placesANewington8 historic placesBRocky Hill5 historic placesB+

Questions about Berlin’s history

What year was Berlin founded?

In 1785, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Berlin’s post office opened in 1799, and the first U.S. census counted 2,465 people here in 1790.

How does Berlin rank for history?

Berlin is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #112 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 Berlin?

5 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Ezekiel Kelsey House (listed 1977, the first), 1 historic district, the Worthington Ridge Historic District, with 92 contributing buildings, and 1 object. 97 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Berlin?

11% of Berlin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1972.

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 (12), the Library of Congress (6), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.