Middlefield’s post office opened in 1854, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns · #144 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Its Register listings are the David Lyman II House and the William Ward Jr. House. Its Register listings are the David Lyman II House and the William Ward Jr. House. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: the first Middlefield post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1866.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Middlefield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Middlefield is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #144 of 155 in Connecticut. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Middlefield’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 Middlefield’s 11.8 sits below most of its state (14% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±10.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1866 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Middlefield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Middlefield, in Middlesex County, is so named because it is halfway between Middletown and Durham, and Middletown and Meriden. The Old North Burying Ground was established for those living west of Middletown and the first burial was in 1738. Middlefield became a town in 1866 by an act of the Connecticut Legislature. The town was previously part of the City of Middletown.
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.
The Middlefield post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1866.
How does Middlefield rank for history?
Middlefield is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #144 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 Middlefield?
Two places: the David Lyman II House (listed 1986) and the William Ward Jr. House (1988).
How old are the homes in Middlefield?
27% of Middlefield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.7 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1961.
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 (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.
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