Its Register listings are the Tunxis Forest Ski Cabin and the Tunxis Forest Headquarters House. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1800.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hartland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hartland is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hartland’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 Hartland’s 10.9 sits below most of its state (11% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1761.
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).
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 Hartland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally referenced as the "Western Lands," the unsettled area was the subject of a 37-year controversy over competing claims by the Connecticut Colony and the towns of Hartford and Windsor. After the Colony's General Court was petitioned in 1724 to settle the dispute, it divided the lands among the three parties, which was followed by a confirming patent issued by Governor Joseph Talcott in 1729.
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.
In 1761, according to Wikidata. Hartland’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1800 counted 1,318 people here.
How does Hartland rank for history?
Hartland is more historic than 80% 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 Hartland?
Two places: the Tunxis Forest Ski Cabin (listed 1986) and the Tunxis Forest Headquarters House (1986).
How old are the homes in Hartland?
22% of Hartland’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 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 (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
1880
2024
2024
2010
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