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BHistory
History · Old Lyme

Old Lyme dates to 1855, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 61% of U.S. towns · #135 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Florence Griswold House and Museum, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 50 buildings. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1860.

1855founded
5on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
17old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Old Lyme’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Old Lyme began

When was Old Lyme founded?

1855

Old Lyme dates its founding to 1855 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 1,304 in 1860171 years

How historic is Old Lyme?

B

More historic than 61% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1797.
History grade

What drives Old Lyme’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Old Lyme is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #135 of 155 in Connecticut. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Old Lyme’s overall grade.
Founding era1855, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194017.9% of homes (±3.4) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register5 listings, 56 historic buildings, 72.9 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 61%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 13%

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 Old Lyme’s 72.9 sits near the middle of its state (48% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 56 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1855.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 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 Old Lyme’s past

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

Lost villages6 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Old Lyme, and 12 old place names are still on the map.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1880 and 1920, then grew 8-fold.On the map since 18934 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1970. Watch Old Lyme change.A historic districtThe Old Lyme Historic District takes in 50 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old Lyme’s post office has been open since 1928. Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Lyme
1797–1928
Riverhead
1810–1845
Griswold
1827–1942
South Lyme
1839–today
Laysville
1851–1853
Black Hall
1887–1931
Sound View
1903–1942
Old Lyme
1928–today
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Black HallHawks Nest BeachJerichoLaysvilleLyme StationMiami ShoresOld Lyme ShoresPoint O'WoodsSound ViewSouth LymeTown LandingWhite Sands Beach
Gone or out of use
Matson HilllocalePeck TavernbuildingTrowbridge Cornerlocale
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Old Lyme
ChampionDuck RiverGriswoldWaite

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

People over time

Old Lyme, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,0001900195020001,387 in 1880Low: 946

Lost a third of its people between 1880 and 1920, then grew 8-fold.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

On the map

Old Lyme on the map, 1893 to 1970

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

Old Lyme on the 1893 USGS mapOld Lyme on the 1941 USGS mapOld Lyme on the 1958 USGS mapOld Lyme on the 1970 USGS map1893Saybrook 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 Old Lyme.

The story so far

Old Lyme, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Old Lyme yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Old Lyme is a coastal town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, bounded on the west by the Connecticut River, on the south by the Long Island Sound, on the east by the town of East Lyme, and on the north by the town of Lyme. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The main street of the town, Lyme Street, is a historic district with several homes once owned by sea captains. The town has had for many years a thriving art community. Its principal institutions include the Florence Griswold Museum, the Lyme Art Association, and the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. The town is named after Lyme Regis, England. Several seasonal beach communities are in Old Ly…

Old Lyme was established in 1855.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Old Lyme, 1797 to 1997

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1797Post officeThe Lyme post office opens
  3. 19th century
  4. 1810Post officeThe Riverhead post office opens
  5. 1827Post officeThe Griswold post office opens
  6. 1845Post officeThe Riverhead post office closes
  7. 1853In the archiveEntrance to Connecticut River Scanned from Admiralty Chart No 2471 New London and Connect…
  8. 1855
    FoundingOld Lyme is established
  9. 1873Born hereHenrietta Collins Bartlett is born here
  10. 1890In the archiveStone Bridge
  11. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 20th century
  13. 1900In the archiveEarly May, Old Lyme by William S. Robinson, 1900-1920
  14. 1913In the archiveConnecticut River Bridge postcard
  15. 1928Post officeThe Lyme post office closes
  16. 1935Born hereJohn H. Martin is born here
  17. 1936BuiltFlorence Griswold House and Museum is built
  18. 1942Post officeThe Griswold post office closes
  19. 1985Born hereMatt Nickerson is born here
  20. 1993LandmarkFlorence Griswold House and Museum named a National Historic Landmark
  21. 1997Born hereLiam Corrigan is born here
By decade

Old Lyme, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s1 item
Entrance to Connecticut River Scanned from Admiralty Chart No 2471 New London and Connecticut River, Published 18531853Entrance to Connecticut River Scanned from Admiralty …
1890s–1900s14 items
Stone Bridgec. 1890Stone BridgeThe Gardenside house, Boxwood Manor1890The Gardenside house, Boxwood ManorEarly May, Old Lyme by William S. Robinson, 1900-19201900Early May, Old Lyme by William S. Robinson, 1900-1920Boxwood ice cutting1900Boxwood ice cuttingChurch at Old Lyme, Connecticut title QS:P1476,en:"Church at Old Lyme, Connecticut "label QS:Len,"Church at Old Lyme, C…1905Church at Old Lyme, Connecticut title QS:P1476,en:"Ch…Boxwood Seminary Old Lyme, Conn1905Boxwood Seminary Old Lyme, ConnBlack Hall station 1906 postcardc. 1906Black Hall station 1906 postcardPostcardThe Jewel Box, Old Lyme by Childe Hassam, 19061906The Jewel Box, Old Lyme by Childe Hassam, 1906A Typical Lyme scene1906A Typical Lyme sceneMain Street1906Main StreetPostcard of Connecticut River railroad bridge constructionc. 1907Postcard of Connecticut River railroad bridge constru…PostcardPostcard of Connecticut River railroad bridgec. 1907Postcard of Connecticut River railroad bridgePostcardThe Ledges, October in1907The Ledges, October inBridge at1908Bridge at
1910s2 items
Connecticut River Bridge postcard1913–1919Connecticut River Bridge postcardPostcardNL&EL trolley on Lyme Street1913NL&EL trolley on Lyme Street
1920s–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
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.

Entrance to Connecticut River Scanned from Admiralty Chart No 2471 New London and Connecticut River, Published 1853
Retake this viewEntrance to Connecticut River Scanned from Admiralty Chart No 2471 New London and Connecticut River, Published 1853, 1853

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

5 listings protect 56 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmark
1
Florence Griswold House and Museum
historic buildings protected
56
each building in a district counts
first listed
1971
Old Lyme Historic District
Old Lyme Historic DistrictPeck TavernSpringbankCapt. Enoch Lord HouseFlorence Griswold House and Museum, built 1936★
BuildingsDistrictsSites★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Colonial2
Greek Revival2
20th Century Revivals2
Colonial Revival2
Georgian1
Mid-19th Century1
★ Landmark
Florence Griswold House and MuseumColonial · Built 1936
Old Lyme Historic DistrictGreek Revival
Peck TavernBuilding
SpringbankMid-19th Century
Capt. Enoch Lord HouseColonial

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Old Lyme

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

See all →
L
Liam CorriganAmerican rower · b. 1997
J
John H. MartinOceanographer · b. 1935
Matt NickersonAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1985
H
Henrietta Collins Bartlett19th/20th-century American literary scholar · b. 1873
Help out

Finish Old Lyme’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 viewEntrance to Connecticut River Scanned f…: 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.

East Lyme6 historic placesBLyme2 historic placesA+Old Saybrook21 historic placesAOld Saybrook Center11 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Old Lyme’s history

What year was Old Lyme founded?

In 1855, according to Wikidata. Old Lyme’s post office opened in 1797, and the census of 1860 counted 1,304 people here.

How does Old Lyme rank for history?

Old Lyme is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #135 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 Old Lyme?

5 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Florence Griswold House and Museum (a National Historic Landmark since 1993), 1 historic district, the Old Lyme Historic District, with 50 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 56 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Old Lyme?

18% of Old Lyme’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1965.

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 (12), the Library of Congress (5), 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.