Pomfret dates to 1713, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #12 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 160 buildings. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1794.
History grade
What drives Pomfret’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pomfret is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #12 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 Pomfret’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 Pomfret’s 387 sits above most of its state (89% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 167 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
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 (±6.3 points). Two sources give 1713.
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 Pomfret’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Brayton Grist MilllocaleElliotts SchoolschoolNorth SchoolschoolPomfret Center Post Officepost officePomfret Golf ClublocalePomfret Landing SchoolschoolPomfret Stationlocale
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Pomfret
AbingtonBensonBruceEpiscopal ChurchSouth
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Pomfret on the map, 1889 to 1970
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pomfret. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1889Putnam 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 Pomfret.
The story so far
Pomfret, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pomfret yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, with a population of 4,266 according to the 2020 United States Census. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. It was incorporated in 1713 and was named after Pontefract in West Yorkshire, England. The land was purchased from local Indians in 1686 in a deal known as the "Mashmuket Purchase" or "Mashamoquet Purchase".
Pomfret was established in 1713.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Pomfret, 1713 to 1995
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.
In 1713, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Pomfret’s post office opened in 1794, and the census of 1820 counted 2,042 people here.
How does Pomfret rank for history?
Pomfret is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #12 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 Pomfret?
5 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Abington Congregational Church (listed 1977, the first), 1 historic district, the Pomfret Street Historic District, with 160 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 167 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Pomfret?
22% of Pomfret’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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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1890
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