New Hartford dates to 1738, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #16 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 118 buildings. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1820.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Hartford is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #16 of 155 in Connecticut. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Hartford’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 New Hartford’s 193 sits above most of its state (73% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 129 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1738.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.2 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 New Hartford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
New Hartford’s post office has been open since 1796. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
New Hartford
1796–today
New Hartford Centre
1829–1869
Pine Meadow
1850–today
Bakersville
1851–1906
Nepaug
1869–1906
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BakersvilleBrowns CornerMaple HollowNepaugPine MeadowPuddle TownTown Hill
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside New Hartford
Immaculate ConceptionNepaugPine GroveVillage
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
People over time
New Hartford, census by census
Lost half of its people between 1900 and 1920, then grew 3-fold.
19 censuses, 1820–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on New Hartford’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
New Hartford, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of New Hartford yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
New Hartford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,658 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the New Hartford Center census-designated place (CDP). The town is mainly a rural community consisting of farms, homes, and parks. Brodie Park and Ski Sundown are located in New Hartford.
New Hartford was established in 1738.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
New Hartford, 1738 to 2010
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born 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.
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 1738, according to Wikidata. New Hartford’s post office opened in 1796, and the census of 1820 counted 1,685 people here.
How does New Hartford rank for history?
New Hartford is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #16 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 New Hartford?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Gillette's Grist Mill (listed 1977, the first), and 1 historic district, the Pine Meadow Historic District, with 118 contributing buildings. 129 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in New Hartford?
22% of New Hartford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.
1874
c. 1908
c. 1909
2005
2005
