Cheshire dates to 1694, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #104 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Most of Cheshire was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 53 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1947 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1805.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cheshire’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cheshire is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #104 of 155 in Connecticut. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cheshire’s overall grade.
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 Cheshire’s 18.9 sits below most of its state (23% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 55 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1694.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.7 points) is firm at this size.
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 Cheshire’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Cheshire, Connecticut was first settled in 1694 as part of Wallingford. It was then known as New Cheshire Parish. After many attempts in securing their independence from Wallingford, New Cheshire Parish was granted secession and was later incorporated as a town in May 1780 as Cheshire. The name is a transfer from Cheshire, in England.
Prospect was formerly part of Cheshire before 1829, and was then known as Columbia Parish.
Cheshire has a Cold War-era fallout shelter constructed in 1966, located underneath the local AT&T tower.
Passages that mention Cheshire, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1649 to 1840, including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 18291912 · page 173Read the page →
Read the text
The Act of Incorporation says : "Upon the memorial of Samuel Beach, Reuben Atwater and the Rest of the Inhabitants of Cheshire * * •* *" It then enumerates all the important parts of the foregoing agreement between the Town of Wallingford and the Parish of Cheshire, gives the latter parish the name of the town of Cheshire.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1694-1840, including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 18291912 · page 81Read the page →
Read the text
The map shows, enclosed between the black lines, the original town of Wallingford, with the roads leading to the present town of Cheshire. The dates are given when the roads were voted, but those dates do not fix the time of migration from the town of Wallingford towards the present town of Cheshire.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1649 to 1840, including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 18291912 · page 81Read the page →
Read the text
The map shows, enclosed between the black lines, the original town of Wallingford, with the roads leading to the present town of Cheshire. The dates are given when the roads were voted, but those dates do not fix the time of migration from the town of Wallingford towards the present town of Cheshire.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1694-1840, including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 18291912 · page 173Read the page →
Read the text
The Act of Incorporation says: "Upon the memorial of Samuel Beach, Reuben Atwater and the Rest of the Inhabitants of Cheshire * * * *» ^ (.j,e„ enumerates all the important parts of the foregoing agreement between the Town of Wallingford and the Parish of Cheshire, gives the latter parish the name of the town of Cheshire.
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
Cheshire, 1694 to 1977
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1694, according to Wikidata. Cheshire’s post office opened in 1805, and the census of 1820 counted 2,230 people here.
How does Cheshire rank for history?
Cheshire is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #104 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 Cheshire?
Three places: the Farmington Canal Lock (listed 1973), the First Congregational Church of Cheshire (1973) and the Cheshire Historic District (1986).
How old are the homes in Cheshire?
9% of Cheshire’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
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