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B+History
History · Putnam

Putnam’s post office opened in 1855, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #117 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 20 buildings. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1860.

1855first post office
5on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
17old photos & papers
17famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Putnam’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Putnam began

When was Putnam founded?

1855

The Putnam post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name. Six smaller post offices, West Thompson (1834), North Killingly (1842) and Wilkinson (1844), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 2,722 in 1860171 years

How historic is Putnam?

B+

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Putnam post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Putnam’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Putnam is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #117 of 155 in Connecticut. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Putnam’s overall grade.
Founding era1855, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194039.5% of homes (±5.9) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register5 listings, 26 historic buildings, 28.0 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 70%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 25%

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 Putnam’s 28.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 26 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Putnam’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 Putnam, and 2 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 18896 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1970. Watch Putnam change.A town in postcards17 old photos, postcards and papers, 1901–1930.A historic districtThe Cargill Falls Mill (Wilkinson Mill) takes in 20 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

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

Putnam’s post office has been open since 1855. Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

West Thompson
1834–1844
North Killingly
1842–1857
Wilkinson
1844–1849
Quinebaug
1849–1855
Putnam
1855–today
West Thompson
1857–today
East Putnam
1864–1879
Quinebaug
1874–today
Putnam Heights
1875–1900
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
East PutnamPutnam Heights
Gone or out of use
Smith Street Schoolschool
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside Putnam
AspinwallCarpenter DresserGrove StreetMunyanOld KillinglyPutnam HeightsSaint Mary

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

On the map

Putnam on the map, 1889 to 1970

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

Putnam on the 1889 USGS mapPutnam on the 1893 USGS mapPutnam on the 1919 USGS mapPutnam on the 1945 USGS mapPutnam on the 1955 USGS mapPutnam on the 1970 USGS map1889Putnam 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 Putnam.

By decade

Putnam, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s11 items
Elm Street, Putnam, with streetcar track - postcard1901–1907Elm Street, Putnam, with streetcar track - postcardPostcardScene in Wildwood Park1905Scene in Wildwood ParkWalk in Wildwood Park1905Walk in Wildwood ParkPostcardPutnamCTSouthMainStreet19061906PostcardPutnamCTSouthMainStreet1906PostcardAir Line bridge at Putnam postcard1907–1915Air Line bridge at Putnam postcardPostcardIsraelPutnamSchoolPutnamCT19071907IsraelPutnamSchoolPutnamCT1907PostcardPutnam arch bridge and streetcar postcard1907–1915Putnam arch bridge and streetcar postcardPostcardSt. Phillips Episcopal Church and streetcar - postcard1907–1915St. Phillips Episcopal Church and streetcar - postcardPostcardStreetcar on Elm Street, Putnam - postcard1907–1915Streetcar on Elm Street, Putnam - postcardPostcardPostcardPutnamCTMainStreetLkgSouth19081908PostcardPutnamCTMainStreetLkgSouth1908PostcardPutnam Catholic Academy1908Putnam Catholic Academy
1910s–1930s6 items
PostcardPutnamCTOakHill19111911PostcardPutnamCTOakHill1911PostcardStreetcar on South Main Street, Putnam - 1912 postcardc. 1912Streetcar on South Main Street, Putnam - 1912 postcardPostcardPostcardPutnamCTMainStLookingSouthCA19151915PostcardPutnamCTMainStLookingSouthCA1915PostcardPostcardPutnamCTPutnamSquareCirca1915c. 1915PostcardPutnamCTPutnamSquareCirca1915PostcardBird's-eye view, Putnam, Conn (75779)c. 1930Bird's-eye view, Putnam, Conn (75779)PostcardDay Kimball Hospital and Nurses' Home, Putnam, Conn (75780)c. 1930Day Kimball Hospital and Nurses' Home, Putnam, Conn (…Postcard
1940s–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
The story

How Putnam came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Putnam.

Read it all →

Putnam, originally known as Aspinock, then part of Killingly, is a New England mill town incorporated in 1855. Created from sections of Killingly, Pomfret, and Thompson, the town was named in honor of Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam.

Putnam was a key contributor in providing clothing and other goods to the Civil War soldiers. There were numerous mills and a train ran through the town, providing transportation for the goods being produced.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Putnam in 1888

Passages that mention Putnam, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Washinoton did not meet Putnam until he came to Cambridge. They had both achieved glory in the Indian war; they knew and loved each other, but they met for the first time at the headquarters of the Continental army. And the absolute confidence which Washington had in Putnam never abated until death…
A history of the equestrian statue of Israel Putnam, at Brooklyn, Conn1888Read the page →
Read the text

Washinoton did not meet Putnam until he came to Cambridge. They had both achieved glory in the Indian war; they knew and loved each other, but they met for the first time at the headquarters of the Continental army. And the absolute confidence which Washington had in Putnam never abated until death. He had no doubt about delivering his Major- General's commission to him with his own hands,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Putnam was a patriot of the patriots, but to one of his profound individuality, patriotism meant something more than its simple definition in the schools. What we call Putnam's patriotism was this generous passion intensified and directed by his obedience to the two great laws of his nature.
A history of the equestrian statue of Israel Putnam, at Brooklyn, Conn1888Read the page →
Read the text

Putnam was a patriot of the patriots, but to one of his profound individuality, patriotism meant something more than its simple definition in the schools. What we call Putnam's patriotism was this generous passion intensified and directed by his obedience to the two great laws of his nature.

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

Putnam, 1806 to 1986

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1806BuiltCargill Falls Mill (Wilkinson Mill) is built
  3. 1834Post officeThe West Thompson post office opens
  4. 1842Post officeThe North Killingly post office opens
  5. 1844Post officeThe West Thompson post office closes
  6. 1844Post officeThe Wilkinson post office opens
  7. 1849Post officeThe Wilkinson post office closes
  8. 1857Post officeThe North Killingly post office closes
  9. 1879Born hereElizabeth Langdon Williams is born here
  10. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1890Born hereGertrude Chandler Warner is born here
  12. 20th century
  13. 1901In the archiveElm Street, Putnam, with streetcar track - postcard
  14. 1911In the archivePostcardPutnamCTOakHill1911
  15. 1915Born hereDick Joy is born here
  16. 1930In the archiveBird's-eye view, Putnam, Conn (75779)
  17. 1986Born hereBrooke Brodack is born here
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.

Elm Street, Putnam, with streetcar track - postcard
Retake this viewElm Street, Putnam, with streetcar track - postcard, 1901–1907

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

5 listings protect 26 historic buildings

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

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
26
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Israel Putnam School
Israel Putnam SchoolPutnam High SchoolCady-Copp HousePutnam Railroad StationCargill Falls Mill (Wilkinson Mill), built 1806
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Gothic1
Colonial1
Postmedieval English1
Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals1
Israel Putnam SchoolBuilding
Putnam High SchoolGothic
Cady-Copp HouseColonial
Putnam Railroad StationLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals
Cargill Falls Mill (Wilkinson Mill)Built 1806

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

People over time

Putnam, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,000190019502000Peak: 9,584

Between 2,722 and 9,584 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

17 famous people were born in Putnam

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

See all →
Elizabeth Langdon WilliamsAmerican human computer and astronomer · b. 1879
Brooke BrodackAmerican viral video comedian · b. 1986
G
Gertrude Chandler WarnerAmerican children's writer · b. 1890
Dick JoyAmerican actor · b. 1915
F
Frank WheatonAmerican tennis player · b. 1876
J
Jennifer O'ConnorAmerican musician · b. 1973
Help out

Finish Putnam’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewElm Street, Putnam, with streetcar trac…: 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.

Pomfret5 historic placesA+Killingly7 historic placesAThompson3 historic placesAWoodstock7 historic placesA−South WoodstockIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Putnam’s history

What year was Putnam founded?

The Putnam post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Putnam rank for history?

Putnam is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #117 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 Putnam?

5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Israel Putnam School (listed 1984, the first), and 1 historic district, the Cargill Falls Mill (Wilkinson Mill), with 20 contributing buildings. 26 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Putnam?

40% of Putnam’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1961.

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 (14), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), 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.