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AHistory
History · Stafford

Stafford dates to 1719, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #17 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 200 buildings between them. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1820.

1719founded
2on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Stafford’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Stafford began

When was Stafford founded?

1719

Stafford dates its founding to 1719 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 2,269 in 1820307 years

How historic is Stafford?

A

More historic than 95% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1807.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Stafford’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Stafford is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #17 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 Stafford’s overall grade.
Founding era1719, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194021.1% of homes (±3.6) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register2 listings, 200 historic buildings, 174 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 95%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 90%

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 Stafford’s 174 sits above most of its state (71% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 200 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1719.
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 (±3.6 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 Stafford’s past

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

A historic districtThe Stafford Hollow Historic District takes in 103 historic buildings.On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1983. Watch Stafford change.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Stafford, and 7 old place names are still on the map.Older than the countryEstablished in 1719, 57 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

2 listings protect 200 historic buildings

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
200
each building in a district counts
first listed
1987
Stafford Hollow Historic District
Stafford Hollow Historic DistrictStafford Springs Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Italianate1
Queen Anne1
Federal1
Italian Villa1
Gothic Revival1
Stafford Hollow Historic DistrictGreek Revival
All 2 listings
Stafford Springs Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2025

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

On the map

Stafford on the map, 1892 to 1983

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

Stafford on the 1892 USGS mapStafford on the 1921 USGS mapStafford on the 1946 USGS mapStafford on the 1952 USGS mapStafford on the 1970 USGS mapStafford on the 1983 USGS map1892Tolland 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 Stafford.

Places that used to be

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

Stafford’s post office has been open since 1844. Another post office, West Stafford, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Stafford Springs
1807–today
West Stafford
1832–1907
Stafford
1844–today
Staffordville
1851–today
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
EllithorpeHydevilleLake View TerraceOrcuttsStafford SpringsStaffordvilleWest Stafford
Gone or out of use
Swift Airportairport
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside Stafford
Crystal LakeHillsideOld Stafford StreetSaint EdwardStafford SpringsStafford StreetWest Stafford

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

The story

How Stafford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Stafford.

Read it all →

The Colonial Town of Stafford began as a rural agricultural community in the eastern part of Hartford County. It became part of Tolland County upon the latter's formation on 13 October 1785. The easy availability of water power from the tributaries of the Willimantic River led to industrialization, and this abundance of power helped generate local population growth. By the mid-19th century, Stafford was connected by railroad to markets across New England, and before the State Highway projects of the 1920s and 1930s, the town had a trolley connection to Rockville.

During the Civil War, factories in Stafford made cannonballs and other war supplies for the northern forces.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Stafford, 1719 to 1907

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1719
    FoundingStafford is established
  3. 1798Born hereJulius Converse is born here
  4. 19th century
  5. 1807Post officeThe Stafford Springs post office opens
  6. 1808Born hereErasmus D. Peck is born here
  7. 1809Born hereMoses G. Leonard is born here
  8. 1810In the archiveS.W. view of the old furnace and adjacent buildings in Stafford, (Con.)
  9. 1832Post officeThe West Stafford post office opens
  10. 1842Born hereErnest Cady is born here
  11. 1844Post officeThe Stafford post office opens
  12. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Tolland County - Stafford - ED 7-16…
  13. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  14. 20th century
  15. 1905In the archiveStafford Springs Hotel
  16. 1907Post officeThe West Stafford post office closes
By decade

Stafford, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1810s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1810s2 items
S.W. view of the old furnace and adjacent buildings in Stafford, (Con.)1810S.W. view of the old furnace and adjacent buildings i…DocumentS.W. view of the old furnace and adjacent buildings in Stafford, (Con.)1810S.W. view of the old furnace and adjacent buildings i…Document
1880s–1900s6 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Tolland County - Stafford - ED 7-16, ED 7-17, ED 7-18, ED 7-19, E…18801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut -…1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Tolland County - Stafford - ED 7-16, ED 7-17, ED 7-18, ED 7-19, E…18801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut -…Stafford Springs Hotel1905Stafford Springs HotelView from hill1905View from hillLibrary and Grace Church1905Library and Grace ChurchMemorial fountain and Congregational Church1905Memorial fountain and Congregational Church
1910s–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
Today16 recent
State Line Pond2024State Line PondRiverside Pond2024Riverside PondRiverside Pond Dam2024Riverside Pond DamMonson Road Garage2024Monson Road GarageDimick Cemetery2024Dimick CemeteryCrystal Lake Cemetery2024Crystal Lake CemeteryCT Route 319 West2024CT Route 319 WestCT Route 192024CT Route 19Stafford High School2023Stafford High SchoolRailroad tracks2023Railroad tracksRailroad bridge over Diamond Ledge Road2023Railroad bridge over Diamond Ledge RoadOrcuttville Road2023Orcuttville RoadRailroad bridge north of Stafford Springs, December 20182018Railroad bridge north of Stafford Springs, December 2…First responders’ Capstone evaluation 120604-A-UK859-0022012First responders’ Capstone evaluation 120604-A-UK859-…Stafford CT lg2010Stafford CT lgStafford ct highlight2007Stafford ct highlight
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.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Tolland County - Stafford - ED 7-16, ED 7-17, ED 7-18, ED 7-19, E…
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Tolland County - Stafford - ED 7-16, ED 7-17, ED 7-18, ED 7-19, E…, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Stafford, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,0001850190019502000Peak: 12,087

Between 2,269 and 12,087 people in every census since 1820.

19 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Famous people

8 famous people were born in Stafford

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

See all →
J
Julius ConverseAmerican politician · b. 1798
Erasmus D. PeckAmerican politician · b. 1808
Ernest CadyAmerican politician · b. 1842
Moses G. LeonardAmerican politician · b. 1809
A
Alvin AldenAmerican businessman and politician · b. 1818
W
William CominsAmerican long jumper · b. 1901
Help out

Finish Stafford’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: 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.

Willington2 historic placesACrystal LakeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEllington2 historic placesBStafford Springs1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSomers2 historic placesA−Union1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Stafford’s history

What year was Stafford founded?

In 1719, according to Wikidata. Stafford’s post office opened in 1807, and the census of 1820 counted 2,269 people here.

How does Stafford rank for history?

Stafford is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #17 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 Stafford?

Two places: the Stafford Hollow Historic District (listed 1987) and the Stafford Springs Historic District (2025).

How old are the homes in Stafford?

21% of Stafford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1970.

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 (20), the Library of Congress (4), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.