5 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 55 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers from 1861 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Colebrook is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Colebrook’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 Colebrook’s 408 sits above most of its state (91% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 61 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1779.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 points).
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 Colebrook’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
The story so far
Colebrook, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Colebrook yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Colebrook is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,361 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. Colebrook was named after Colebrooke in the English county of Devon; the reason is now unknown.
Colebrook was established in 1779.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Colebrook, 1779 to 1999
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1779, according to Wikidata. Colebrook’s post office opened in 1809.
How does Colebrook rank for history?
Colebrook is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns. 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 Colebrook?
5 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Arah Phelps Inn (listed 1971, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Phelps Farms Historic District and the Colebrook Center Historic District, with 55 contributing buildings. 61 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Colebrook?
32% of Colebrook’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1960.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
2009
2009