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New Milford DowntownPhoto: AirportExpert · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−History
History · New Milford

New Milford dates to 1707, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 85% of U.S. towns · #73 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

12 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 150 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1790.

1707founded
12on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
15famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From New Milford’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How New Milford began

When was New Milford founded?

1707

New Milford dates its founding to 1707 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 3,167 in 1790319 years

How historic is New Milford?

A−

More historic than 85% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1795.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives New Milford’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Milford is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #73 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 Milford’s overall grade.
Founding era1707, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194012.3% of homes (±2.8) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register12 listings, 170 historic buildings, 60.0 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 85%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 53%

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 Milford’s 60.0 sits near the middle of its state (43% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 170 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1707.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size.

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 Milford’s past

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

A historic districtThe New Milford Center Historic District takes in 150 historic buildings.Lost villages12 post offices opened and closed inside today’s New Milford, and 16 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 18925 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1984. Watch New Milford change.Older than the countryEstablished in 1707, 69 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

12 listings protect 170 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
12
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
170
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Boardman's Bridge
Boardman's BridgeLover's Leap Bridge, built 1895Merwinsville HotelSchoverling, Carl F., Tobacco WarehouseUnited Bank BuildingHalpine, J. S., Tobacco WarehouseHousatonic Railroad StationMerryall Union Evangelical Society Chapel, built 1890New Milford Center Historic DistrictWildman, E. A., & Co. Tobacco WarehouseMerritt Beach & Son BuildingHine-Buckingham Farms
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival3
Italianate2
Neo-Classical Revival1
Gothic Revival1
Vernacular1
Queen Anne1
Boardman's BridgeStructure
Lover's Leap BridgeBuilt 1895
Merwinsville HotelGreek Revival
Schoverling, Carl F., Tobacco WarehouseBuilding
United Bank BuildingNeo-Classical Revival
Halpine, J. S., Tobacco WarehouseBuilding
Housatonic Railroad StationBuilding
Merryall Union Evangelical Society ChapelGothic Revival · Built 1890
All 12 listings
New Milford Center Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986Wildman, E. A., & Co. Tobacco WarehouseBuilding · listed 1988Merritt Beach & Son BuildingBuilding · listed 1992Hine-Buckingham FarmsBuilding · listed 2004

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, places now gone and burying grounds

New Milford’s post office has been open since 1795. 12 other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

New Milford
1795–today
Gaylords Bridge
1826–1852
Ousatonic
1831–1832
Northville
1832–1920
Merry All
1837–1842
Ousatonic
1840–1841
Southville
1846–1901
Gaylordsville
1852–today
Lanesville
1853–1901
Merwinsville
1853–1861
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Birch GrovesCandlewood Lake ClubCandlewood PointCandlewood SpringsChimney PointErickson CornerGaylordsvilleHickory HavenHurds CornerLanesvilleLower MerryallMerwinsvilleNorthvillePark LaneUpper MerryallWellsville
Gone or out of use
Aspetuck PlainlocaleDocktors Fieldairport
12cemeteries and burying grounds inside New Milford
CenterGallows HillGaylordsvilleHoly CrossLong MountainMorningsideNorthvillePeetQuakerSaint Francis XavierUpper MerryallWest Meetinghouse

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

On the map

New Milford on the map, 1892 to 1984

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

New Milford on the 1892 USGS mapNew Milford on the 1904 USGS mapNew Milford on the 1955 USGS mapNew Milford on the 1971 USGS mapNew Milford on the 1984 USGS map1892New Milford 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 New Milford.

The story

How New Milford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of New Milford.

Read it all →

The indigenous Wawyachtonoc people, an Algonquian-speaking sub-group of the Golden Hill branch of the Paugusset Nation, and later a Mahican-affiliated Native American tribe, are the earliest known inhabitants of the area constituting contemporary New Milford, having resided there both before and during the colonial era. They had a farming and fishing culture, cultivating corn—mainly by the Housatonic River and its local tributary, the Still River—squash, beans, and tobacco; and fishing in freshwater areas.

ChaptersNative AmericansColonial timesAmerican RevolutionThe Boardman family19th and 20th centuries21st centuryNational Register of Historic Places sites

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

New Milford, 1707 to 2001

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1707
    FoundingNew Milford is established
  3. 1760Born hereElijah Boardman is born here
  4. 1786Born hereNathaniel William Taylor is born here
  5. 1795Post officeThe New Milford post office opens
  6. 19th century
  7. 1826Post officeThe Gaylords Bridge post office opens
  8. 1831Post officeThe Ousatonic post office opens
  9. 1832Post officeThe Ousatonic post office closes
  10. 1852Post officeThe Gaylords Bridge post office closes
  11. 1853In the archiveMap of New Milford, Litchfield Co., Conn
  12. 1886In the archiveFalls Mountain on the Housatonic River 1886
  13. 1890BuiltMerryall Union Evangelical Society Chapel is built
  14. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  15. 1895BuiltLover's Leap Bridge is built
  16. 20th century
  17. 1906In the archiveBird's-eye-view of New Milford, Connecticut, 1906
  18. 1908Born hereElizabeth Bentley is born here
  19. 1927In the archiveRobert Chandless, New Milford, Connecticut, 1927
  20. 21st century
  21. 2001Born hereRiley McCusker is born here
By decade

New Milford, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s–1920s5 items
Map of New Milford, Litchfield Co., Conn1853Map of New Milford, Litchfield Co., ConnMapFalls Mountain on the Housatonic River 18861886Falls Mountain on the Housatonic River 1886Bird's-eye-view of New Milford, Connecticut, 19061906Bird's-eye-view of New Milford, Connecticut, 1906Bird's-eye-view of New Milford, Connecticut, 19061906Bird's-eye-view of New Milford, Connecticut, 1906Robert Chandless, New Milford, Connecticut, 19271927Robert Chandless, New Milford, Connecticut, 1927
1930s–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
Today18 recent
New Milford, Connecticut2010New Milford, ConnecticutNew Milford, Connecticut2010New Milford, ConnecticutNew Milford, Connecticut2010New Milford, ConnecticutNew Milford CT lg2010New Milford CT lgCFPAHousatonicRangeTrailBlueTrailSign22010CFPAHousatonicRangeTrailBlueTrailSign2Elijah Boardman Grave2009Elijah Boardman GraveView of New Milford, Conn2008View of New Milford, ConnUS-CT-New Milford2008US-CT-New MilfordNew Milford, Connecticut 052508 4942008New Milford, Connecticut 052508 494New Milford, Connecticut 052508 4922008New Milford, Connecticut 052508 492New Milford, Connecticut 052508 4892008New Milford, Connecticut 052508 489Connecticut Town History Sign2008Connecticut Town History SignConnecticut Town History Sign2008Connecticut Town History SignTownGreenNewMilfordCT2007TownGreenNewMilfordCTNew Milford Scene2007New Milford SceneNew Milford Scene (2)2007New Milford Scene (2)BankAndMainStreetsNewMilfordCT2007BankAndMainStreetsNewMilfordCTTheCast2006TheCast
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Falls Mountain on the Housatonic River 1886
Retake this viewFalls Mountain on the Housatonic River 1886, 1886

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on New Milford’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

New Milford, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00018001850190019502000Peak: 28,142

Between 3,167 and 28,142 people in every census since 1790.

22 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

15 famous people were born in New Milford

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Elizabeth BentleyAmerican spy for the USSR · b. 1908
Elijah BoardmanAmerican politician · b. 1760
N
Nathaniel William TaylorAmerican theologian · b. 1786
Riley McCuskerAmerican artistic gymnast · b. 2001
Charles D. SherwoodAmerican politician · b. 1833
Evan ScribnerAmerican baseball player · b. 1985
Help out

Finish New Milford’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFalls Mountain on the Housatonic River …: stand where they stood+15Share 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.

Bridgewater2 historic placesASherman1 historic placeA−Gaylordsville1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWashington8 historic placesABrookfield1 historic placeBKent4 historic placesANew Fairfield2 historic placesB+New Preston3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townChimney PointIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCandlewood Lake ClubIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about New Milford’s history

What year was New Milford founded?

In 1707, according to Wikidata. New Milford’s post office opened in 1795, and the first U.S. census counted 3,167 people here in 1790.

How does New Milford rank for history?

New Milford is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #73 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 Milford?

12 listings: 9 buildings, 1 historic district, the New Milford Center Historic District, with 150 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 170 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in New Milford?

12% of New Milford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1975.

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 (23), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (12), 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.