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A−History
History · Darien

Darien’s post office opened in 1820, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 80% of U.S. towns · #91 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Stephen Tyng Mather House, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 23 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1820.

1820first post office
4on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
25famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Darien’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Darien began

When was Darien founded?

1820

The Darien post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Darien Depot (1849), Noroton (1872) and Noroton Heights (1889), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 1,126 in 1820206 years

How historic is Darien?

A−

More historic than 80% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Darien post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Darien’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Darien is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #91 of 155 in Connecticut. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Darien’s overall grade.
Founding era1820, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194027.4% of homes (±4.1) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register4 listings, 28 historic buildings, 12.8 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 80%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 42%

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 Darien’s 12.8 sits below most of its state (14% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 28 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% 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 (±4.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Darien’s past

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

On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1984. Watch Darien change.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Darien, and 3 old place names are still on the map.A historic districtThe Boston Post Road Historic District takes in 23 historic buildings.A National Historic Landmark4 places on the National Register, including Stephen Tyng Mather House, a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · On the map

Darien on the map, 1892 to 1984

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

Darien on the 1892 USGS mapDarien on the 1943 USGS mapDarien on the 1951 USGS mapDarien on the 1960 USGS mapDarien on the 1971 USGS mapDarien on the 1984 USGS map1892Norwalk 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 Darien.

Places that used to be

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

Darien’s post office has been open since 1820. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Darien
1820–today
Darien
1849–1882
Darien Depot
1849–1882
Noroton
1872–1943
Noroton Heights
1889–1943
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
NorotonNoroton HeightsTokeneke
Gone or out of use
Noroton Stationlocale
11cemeteries and burying grounds inside Darien
BellHoytIndependent Stamford LodgeLeadsOld JewishSaint JohnsSlassonSpring GroveSpring Grove VeteransStevensWaterbury

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

On the National Register

4 listings protect 28 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmark
1
Stephen Tyng Mather House
historic buildings protected
28
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Stephen Tyng Mather House
Pond-Weed HouseBoston Post Road Historic DistrictMeadowlandsStephen Tyng Mather House, built 1778★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Italianate1
Queen Anne1
Neo-Classical Revival1
Colonial1
Georgian Revival1
★ Landmark
Stephen Tyng Mather HouseBuilt 1778
Pond-Weed HouseBuilding
Boston Post Road Historic DistrictGreek Revival
MeadowlandsGeorgian Colonial Revival

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

The story

How Darien came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Darien.

Read it all →

According to early records, the first clearings of land were made by men from the New Haven and Wethersfield colonies and from Norwalk in about 1641. It was not until 1739, however, that the Middlesex Society of the Town of Stamford built the first community church, now the First Congregational Church of Darien, which stands on the original site at the corner of Brookside Road and the Boston Post Road.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Darien in 1868

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

ent Stamford Hue, in the town of Darien, was chartered in 1864, to provide for the disabled soldiers of the twelfth senatorial district of the state. It]takes its name from its founder, Benjamin Fitch, Esq., of Darien, who has contributed towards its endowment and support, something over $100,000. …
History of Stamford, Connecticut1868 · page 449Read the page →
Read the text

ent Stamford Hue, in the town of Darien, was chartered in 1864, to provide for the disabled soldiers of the twelfth senatorial district of the state. It]takes its name from its founder, Benjamin Fitch, Esq., of Darien, who has contributed towards its endowment and support, something over $100,000. It was found that it was not needed for disabled soldiers, and in February, 1885, the trustees, Hon. Morgan Morgans, Joseph B.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
of the First society in Greenwich and of the Stanwich society ; to the north we have transferred a section to the Bedford parish and to the east a portion of the Xew Canaan and the most of the Darien societies. There remains, therefore, only the central portion of the old parish left, extending ove…
History of Stamford, Connecticut1868 · page 152Read the page →
Read the text

of the First society in Greenwich and of the Stanwich society ; to the north we have transferred a section to the Bedford parish and to the east a portion of the Xew Canaan and the most of the Darien societies. There remains, therefore, only the central portion of the old parish left, extending over two miles east of the meeting bouse in the village and about a mile and a half west, and stretching from the waters of the Sound ten or eleven miles towards the north. Only one other sub-division of this

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

Darien, 1778 to 2001

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1778BuiltStephen Tyng Mather House is built
  3. 19th century
  4. 1820Post officeThe Darien post office opens
  5. 1849Post officeThe Darien post office opens
  6. 1849Post officeThe Darien Depot post office opens
  7. 1872In the archiveStudy on Long Island Sound at
  8. 1882Post officeThe Darien post office closes
  9. 1882Post officeThe Darien Depot post office closes
  10. 1883Born hereArthur Kingsley Porter is born here
  11. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 20th century
  13. 1914In the archivePostcardDarienCTContentmentIsland1914
  14. 1934In the archive25 Cabins, Open all year long, Steam heat, Walker's Cabins (NBY 4944)
  15. 1963LandmarkStephen Tyng Mather House named a National Historic Landmark
  16. 1964In the archiveHPC-000360
  17. 1965Born hereMatthew Porretta is born here
  18. 1969Born hereChristine Collins is born here
  19. 1979In the archiveDarien Playhouse, Post Road
  20. 21st century
  21. 2001Born hereSpencer Knight is born here
By decade

Darien, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
Study on Long Island Sound at1872Study on Long Island Sound at
1910s–1970s4 items
PostcardDarienCTContentmentIsland19141914PostcardDarienCTContentmentIsland1914Postcard25 Cabins, Open all year long, Steam heat, Walker's Cabins (NBY 4944)193425 Cabins, Open all year long, Steam heat, Walker's C…PostcardHPC-0003601964HPC-000360Darien Playhouse, Post Road1979Darien Playhouse, Post Road
1980s–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
Today13 recent
NorotonHomeMealDarienCTHarpersWeekly031718662008NorotonHomeMealDarienCTHarpersWeekly03171866NorotonHomeFlagpoleHarpersWeekly031718662008NorotonHomeFlagpoleHarpersWeekly03171866NorotonHomeDressesDarienCTHarpersWeekly031718662008NorotonHomeDressesDarienCTHarpersWeekly03171866NorotonHomeClassroomDarienCTHarpersWeekly031718662008NorotonHomeClassroomDarienCTHarpersWeekly03171866NorotonHomeBuggyDarienCTHarpersWeekly031718662008NorotonHomeBuggyDarienCTHarpersWeekly03171866DarienCTUSCoastAndGeodeticSurvey1965Marker110420072007DarienCTUSCoastAndGeodeticSurvey1965Marker11042007DarienCTStonyBrookParkLookingWest111720072007DarienCTStonyBrookParkLookingWest11172007DarienCTHindleySchoolStoneWalls110420072007DarienCTHindleySchoolStoneWalls11042007P1010087 Old Post Road Bridge M-2 Darien Conn2006P1010087 Old Post Road Bridge M-2 Darien ConnP1010073 Old Post Road Bridge Under Construction Darien Conn2006P1010073 Old Post Road Bridge Under Construction Dari…P1010069 Old Post Road Bridge Darien Conn2006P1010069 Old Post Road Bridge Darien ConnTurbo Esprit2005Turbo EspritUS-CT-Darien2004US-CT-Darien
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.

Study on Long Island Sound at
Retake this viewStudy on Long Island Sound at, 1872

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Darien, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,000185019001950200021,499

Grew from 1,126 people in 1820 to 21,499 in 2020, more than tenfold.

19 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Famous people

25 famous people were born in Darien

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

See all →
M
Matthew PorrettaAmerican actor · b. 1965
Spencer KnightAmerican ice hockey goaltender · b. 2001
Arthur Kingsley PorterAmerican art historian · b. 1883
C
Christine CollinsAmerican rower · b. 1969
Ethan Allen BrownAmerican politician · b. 1776
Linwood BarclayAmerican born, Canadian humourist, author and f… · b. 1955
Help out

Finish Darien’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewStudy on Long Island Sound at: 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.

Stamford33 historic placesANorwalk25 historic placesANoroton1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTokenekeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNoroton Heights1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNew Canaan25 historic placesA

Questions about Darien’s history

What year was Darien founded?

The Darien post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Darien rank for history?

Darien is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #91 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 Darien?

4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Stephen Tyng Mather House (a National Historic Landmark since 1963), and 1 historic district, the Boston Post Road Historic District, with 23 contributing buildings. 28 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Darien?

27% of Darien’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1956.

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 (18), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.