Salisbury dates to 1741, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 98% of U.S. towns · #10 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 119 buildings between them. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1797.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Salisbury’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Salisbury is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #10 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 Salisbury’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 Salisbury’s 291 sits above most of its state (83% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 123 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% 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 (±6.5 points). Two sources give 1741.
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 Salisbury’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Salisbury was established and incorporated in 1741, and contains several historic homes, though some were replaced by larger modern structures in the late 20th century. Salisbury was named for Salisbury, a city in England. Historian Ed Kirby relates that traces of iron were discovered in what was to become Salisbury in 1728, with the discovery of the large deposit at Old Hill (later Ore Hill) in 1731 by John Pell and Ezekiel Ashley. From before the American Revolution, through the Federal Period of the nation, and until circa 1920, Salisbury was the seat of an important iron industry.
Passages that mention Salisbury, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Hoyt family. A genealogical history of John Hoyt of Salisbury, and David Hoyt of Deerfield, (Massachusetts,) and their descendants1857 · page 32Read the page →
Read the text
in Amesbury, May 1, 1737, and dismissed to the second chh. in Salisbury, June 21, 1739, — reed, there July 1, 1739. He was residing in that part of Salisbury which was incorporated as South Hampton in 1742. His oldest child's birth is recorded in Amesbury, the second in Salisbury, the three next in S. Hampton, and the two youngest in Brentwood.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Hoyt family. A genealogical history of John Hoyt of Salisbury, and David Hoyt of Deerfield, (Massachusetts,) and their descendants1857 · page 36Read the page →
Read the text
1730 (233) ; d. as early as 1745-6. Soon after the settlement of the boundary of Mass. and N. H., Benj. Hoyt signed the petition of those who " did belong to the Easterly part of Salisbury," showing that they did not wish to be joined to the township to be formed of the westerly part of Salisbury and a part of Amesbury, as they were six miles from the meeting-house ; and requesting to be joined to Hampton Falls. In the charter of South Hampton (May 25, 1742),
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
Salisbury, 1741 to 1916
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 1741, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Salisbury’s post office opened in 1797, and the census of 1820 counted 2,695 people here.
How does Salisbury rank for history?
Salisbury is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #10 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 Salisbury?
8 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Scoville Memorial Library (listed 1982, the first), 4 historic districts with 119 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 123 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Salisbury?
29% of Salisbury’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 (8), 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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