Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to East Granby

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
A−History
History · East Granby

East Granby’s post office opened in 1820, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns · #85 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Old Newgate Prison, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 131 buildings. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1860.

1820first post office
5on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How East Granby began

When was East Granby founded?

1820

The East Granby post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1858. Another post office, Copper Hill (1872), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 833 in 1860206 years

How historic is East Granby?

A−

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first East Granby post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1858.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives East Granby’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Granby is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #85 of 155 in Connecticut. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Granby’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 194010.1% of homes (±5.5) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register5 listings, 134 historic buildings, 256 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 81%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 45%

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 East Granby’s 256 sits above most of its state (81% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 134 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% 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 (±5.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1858.

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 East Granby’s past

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

A historic districtThe East Granby Historic District takes in 131 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of East Granby are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18927 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1984. Watch East Granby change.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s East Granby, and 6 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

5 listings protect 134 historic buildings

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

places listed
5
National Historic Landmark
1
Old Newgate Prison
historic buildings protected
134
each building in a district counts
first listed
1970
Old Newgate Prison
Viets' TavernEzekiel Phelps HouseEast Granby Historic DistrictWhitfield Cowles HouseOld Newgate Prison★
BuildingsDistrictsSites★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

New England Colonial1
Georgian1
Federal1
Greek Revival1
Queen Anne1
Italianate1
★ Landmark
Old Newgate PrisonSite
Viets' TavernBuilding
Ezekiel Phelps HouseBuilding
East Granby Historic DistrictNew England Colonial
Whitfield Cowles HouseBuilding

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

Help out

Start East Granby’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

East Granby on the map, 1892 to 1984

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

East Granby on the 1892 USGS mapEast Granby on the 1928 USGS mapEast Granby on the 1946 USGS mapEast Granby on the 1953 USGS mapEast Granby on the 1964 USGS mapEast Granby on the 1972 USGS mapEast Granby on the 1984 USGS map1892Hartford 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 East Granby.

The story

How East Granby came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of East Granby.

Read it all →

Original inhabitants of the current East Granby area were Native American peoples, including the Algonquin/Poquonock, the Massaco, and the Agawam.

The East Granby area was first settled by Europeans in 1664, which was one of the four Congregational parishes in Simsbury. The Turkey Hills Ecclesiastical Society in 1786 became a section of Granby, and in 1858 was incorporated as the Town of East Granby.

The first incorporated copper mine in America resided in what is now East Granby. The mine later became Old Newgate Prison, a Revolutionary War jail and the first state prison in the United States (1790).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

East Granby, 1786 to 1972

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1786Born hereWalter Forward is born here
  3. 19th century
  4. 1807Born hereDarwin Phelps is born here
  5. 1820Post officeThe East Granby post office opens
  6. 1872Post officeThe Copper Hill post office opens
  7. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1903Post officeThe Copper Hill post office closes
  10. 1972LandmarkOld Newgate Prison named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

East Granby, decade by decade

Today35 recent
Historic architecture2011Historic architectureHistoric architecture2011Historic architectureHistoric architecture2011Historic architectureHistoric architecture2011Historic architectureHistoric architecture2011Historic architectureHistoric architecture2011Historic architectureEast Granby Congregational Church2011East Granby Congregational ChurchEast Granby Congregational Church2011East Granby Congregational ChurchEast Granby Congregational Church2011East Granby Congregational ChurchRural farm scene in2011Rural farm scene inRural farm scene in2011Rural farm scene inRural farm scene in2011Rural farm scene inRural farm scene in2011Rural farm scene inRural farm scene in2011Rural farm scene inRural farm scene in2011Rural farm scene inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inHistoric architecture in2011Historic architecture inEast Granby Congregational Church in2011East Granby Congregational Church inEast Granby High School2010East Granby High SchoolEast Granby High School original2010East Granby High School originalE Granby CT lg2010E Granby CT lg
People over time

East Granby, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5001900195020005,214

Grew from 833 people in 1860 to 5,214 in 2020, 6 times over.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in East Granby

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

See all →
Walter ForwardAmerican politician · b. 1786
Darwin PhelpsUnion Army officer · b. 1807
Places that used to be

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

East Granby’s post office has been open since 1820. Another post office, Copper Hill, opened and closed inside today’s town.

East Granby
1820–today
Copper Hill
1872–1903
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Carroll CornersFloydvilleGranbrook ParkHigley VillageSpoonvilleTariffville Center
Gone or out of use
Hazelwood Schoolschool
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside East Granby
Beth HillelCaptain John VietsCopper HillEast GranbyElmwoodHolcombPrisoners

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.

Simsbury15 historic placesA−Tariffville1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBloomfield7 historic placesB−Suffield12 historic placesAGranby8 historic placesA−Windsor Locks4 historic placesA−Windsor41 historic placesA

Questions about East Granby’s history

What year was East Granby founded?

The East Granby post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1858.

How does East Granby rank for history?

East Granby is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #85 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 East Granby?

5 listings: 3 buildings, 1 historic district, the East Granby Historic District, with 131 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 134 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in East Granby?

10% of East Granby’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1975.

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 (26), the Library of Congress (9), 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) 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.