Preston dates to 1687, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #41 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 126 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1811.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Preston’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Preston is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #41 of 155 in Connecticut. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Preston’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 Preston’s 263 sits above most of its state (82% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 127 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1687.
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 (±4.2 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 Preston’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1686, Thomas Parke, Thomas Tracy, and several others petitioned for and were granted by the Connecticut General Court authority to establish a plantation seven miles square to the east of Norwich and north of New London and Stonington. Owaneco, son of the Mohegan sachem Uncas, gave a confirmatory deed for the land in 1687. In October of that same year, the town was formally incorporated as Preston, named for the English city of Preston, Lancashire.
Early trades in the area included shoemaking, metalsmithing, shipbuilding, and brickmaking.
Passages that mention Preston, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A History of Captain Roswell Preston of Hampton, Connecticut, his ancestry and descendants1899Read the page →
Read the text
John Butt was a brother of Captain Preston's mother. He was a Revolutionary soldier and, at this time, was 73 years of age. His account with Captain Preston extended from 1802 until 1818, and was settled until about 1814, after which time there were no credits.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A History of Captain Roswell Preston of Hampton, Connecticut, his ancestry and descendants1899Read the page →
Read the text
After resting a few days Captain Preston proceeded on a tour of inspection of government lands and finally located a 240 acre tract on the north half of section eight, in the township of Freedom, county of Washtenaw, being about fifteen miles west from Ann Arbor. At that time there were but five families in the township, the first settlers having arrived during the preceding year. The unbroken forest was tenanted by Indians and wild beasts. Indian corn was growing on the land when Capt. Preston made his location.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Preston, 1687 to 1990
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 1687, according to Wikidata. Preston’s post office opened in 1811, and the census of 1820 counted 1,899 people here.
How does Preston rank for history?
Preston is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #41 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 Preston?
5 listings: 1 building, among them the Long Society Meetinghouse (listed 1976, the first), and 4 historic districts with 126 contributing buildings. 127 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Preston?
11% of Preston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (5), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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