History · Essex

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

More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #20 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

10 places in town are on the National Register, among them the CHRISTEEN (oyster sloop), a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 249 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1850.

1820first post office

10on the National Register

27%homes built before 1940

5old photos & papers

1famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Essex’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Essex began

When was Essex founded?

1820

The Essex post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1852. Two smaller post offices, Pettipauge (1802) and Centre Brook (1849), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 950 in 1850206 years

How historic is Essex?

More historic than 94% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

Founding year: the first Essex post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1852.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Essex’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Essex is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #20 of 155 in Connecticut. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Essex’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 194026.9% of homes (±5.9) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%A⁻National Register10 listings, 267 historic buildings, 393 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4A

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 94%

NewerOlder

Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 88%

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 Essex’s 393 sits above most of its state (89% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 267 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1852.

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 Essex’s past

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

A historic districtThe Ivoryton Historic District takes in 249 historic buildings.A National Historic Landmark10 places on the National Register, including CHRISTEEN (oyster sloop), a National Historic Landmark.On the map since 18934 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1970. Watch Essex change.Then and nowOne place photographed years apart. Drag to compare.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

10 listings protect 267 historic buildings

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

places listed

National Historic Landmark

CHRISTEEN (oyster sloop)

historic buildings protected

267

each building in a district counts

first listed

1982

Steamboat Dock Site

BuildingsDistrictsStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival2

Classical Revival1

Colonial1

Postmedieval English1

Early Republic1

Federal1

★ Landmark

CHRISTEEN (oyster sloop)Structure

Steamboat Dock SiteBuilt 1975

Comstock-Cheney HallClassical Revival

Hill's AcademyGreek Revival

Pratt HouseBuilding

Centerbrook Congregational ChurchGreek Revival

Benjamin Bushnell FarmColonial · Built 1790

Essex Freight StationBuilding

All 10 listings

Ivoryton Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2014 Caleb Pratt HouseBuilding · listed 2024

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

On the map

Essex on the map, 1893 to 1970

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

1893Saybrook 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 Essex.

The story

How Essex came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Essex.

Read it all →

Essex is one of the few American towns to have ever been attacked by a foreign power; this occurred on April 8, 1814, and the economic losses were among the largest sustained by the United States during the War of 1812. Twenty-eight vessels, with a total value estimated to be close to $200,000 (at a time when a very large two-story home in Essex, then known as Potapoug Point, would have been worth no more than $1,000), were burnt by British forces. One historian has called it the "Pearl Harbor" of that war.

ChaptersThe Great Attack Historical architecture

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Essex in 1922

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

John and William Raymond, brothers, came to Beverly, Massachusetts, about the year 1654, and William Raymond, with Rev. John Wise, of Chebacco Parish (now the town of Essex), had the honor of being imprisoned as a result of the fight against Governor Andros to maintain the principles of "no taxatio… — **Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts**1922Read the page →
Read the text
John and William Raymond, brothers, came to Beverly, Massachusetts, about the year 1654, and William Raymond, with Rev. John Wise, of Chebacco Parish (now the town of Essex), had the honor of being imprisoned as a result of the fight against Governor Andros to maintain the principles of "no taxation without representation." This is said to be the first movement against England in
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

The first location of this business, in the early days of its history, was at No. 327 Essex street, where the original business was founded in 1852. In 1900 a building was purchased at the corner of Essex and Amesbury streets, the firm taking possession the following spring. In August, 1919, the bu… — **Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts**1922 · page 58Read the page →
Read the text
The first location of this business, in the early days of its history, was at No. 327 Essex street, where the original business was founded in 1852. In 1900 a building was purchased at the corner of Essex and Amesbury streets, the firm taking possession the following spring. In August, 1919, the business having outgrown these premises, the present large, handsome building was purchased, and as
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

Essex, 1790 to 1991

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

18th century
1790BuiltBenjamin Bushnell Farm is built
19th century
1802Post officeThe Pettipauge post office opens
1820Post officeThe Pettipauge post office closes
1820Post officeThe Essex post office opens
1849Post officeThe Centre Brook post office opens
1881In the archiveView of Essex, Centerbrook & Ivoryton, Conn. 1881
1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1894Post officeThe Centre Brook post office closes
20th century
1910In the archiveThree car train, Shore Line Electric R'y
1914Born hereBryant Kirkland is born here
1940In the archiveHistoric American Buildings Survey (Fed.) Stanley P. Mixon, Photographer July 17, 1940 (A…
1975BuiltSteamboat Dock Site is built
1980In the archiveBusy marina, Essex, Connecticut, just up the Connecticut River from Long Island Sound
1991LandmarkCHRISTEEN (oyster sloop) named a National Historic Landmark

By decade

Essex, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1940s3 items

1881View of Essex, Centerbrook & Ivoryton, Conn. 1881

1910Three car train, Shore Line Electric R'y

Historic American Buildings Survey (Fed.) Stanley P. Mixon, Photographer July 17, 1940 (A) EXTERIOR GENERAL VIEW FROM R…

1940Historic American Buildings Survey (Fed.) Stanley P. …

1950s–1970snothing 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

1980s2 items

Busy marina, Essex, Connecticut, just up the Connecticut River from Long Island Sound

1980Busy marina, Essex, Connecticut, just up the Connecti…

1980Busy marina

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

The same spot, 127 years apart

Drag across each photo to compare.

View of Essex, Centerbrook & Ivoryton, Conn. 1881Matched from the two captions

People over time

Essex, census by census

Grew from 950 people in 1850 to 6,733 in 2020, 7 times over.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Places that used to be

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

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

Pettipauge

1802–1820

Essex

1820–today

Centre Brook

1849–1894

Ivoryton

1880–today

Centerbrook

1894–today

18001910today

Hamlets and corners on the map

CenterbrookIvoryton

Gone or out of use

Sokol Hallbuilding

2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Essex

CenterbrookRiverview

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

Help out

Finish Essex’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 viewView of Essex, Centerbrook & Ivoryton, …: stand where they stood+15 Share 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.

Essex Village5 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Deep River4 historic placesA⁻Lyme2 historic placesA⁺Westbrook3 historic placesA Old Saybrook21 historic placesA Deep River Center3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Essex’s history

What year was Essex founded?

The Essex post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1852.

How does Essex rank for history?

Essex is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #20 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 Essex?

10 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Steamboat Dock Site (listed 1982, the first), 1 historic district, the Ivoryton Historic District, with 249 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 267 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Essex?

27% of Essex’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1971.

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 (19), the Library of Congress (15), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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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