On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Griswold is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #130 of 155 in Connecticut. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Griswold’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 Griswold’s 13.0 sits below most of its state (16% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 15 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Griswold’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Long a fishing ground for the Mohegan people, the waterways attracted settlers who established ironworks, saw and corn mills, and other businesses.
The town of Griswold was originally the northern part of the town of Preston. The North Society was established in 1716 at the request of residents who had been travelling to Preston to attend church.
In the late 1700s, Eliezer Jewett opened several mills and an irrigation plant. His success led the area to be called Jewett City. The town of Griswold incorporated in 1815, naming itself after Governor Roger Griswold. In 1895, Jewett City incorporated as a borough of the town.
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.
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.
Griswold is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #130 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 Griswold?
7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the John Wilson House (listed 1985, the first), and 1 site. 15 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Griswold?
19% of Griswold’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 1977.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.
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