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AHistory
History · Thompson

Thompson dates to 1785, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #18 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 204 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1820.

1785founded
3on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
11famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Thompson’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Thompson began

When was Thompson founded?

1785

Thompson dates its founding to 1785 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 2,928 in 1820241 years

How historic is Thompson?

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: 1805.
History grade

What drives Thompson’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Thompson is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #18 of 155 in Connecticut. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Thompson’s overall grade.
Founding era1785, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194032.9% of homes (±7.9) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register3 listings, 205 historic buildings, 220 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 89%

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 Thompson’s 220 sits above most of its state (76% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 205 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.9 points). Two sources give 1785.

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 Thompson’s past

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

Lost villages8 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Thompson, and 9 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe North Grosvenordale Mill Historic Disrict takes in 103 historic buildings.On the map since 18895 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1970. Watch Thompson change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

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

Thompson’s post office has been open since 1805. Eight other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Thompson
1805–today
New Boston
1829–1909
Fishersville
1841–1866
East Thompson
1850–1934
Grosvenor Dale
1866–today
Masonville
1866–1866
North Grosvenor Dale
1866–today
Wilsonville
1868–1954
Mechanicsville
1873–1983
Quadic
1882–1883
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
East ThompsonFabyanGrosvenor DaleMechanicsvilleNorth Grosvenor DaleQuaddickQuinebaugWest ThompsonWilsonville
Gone or out of use
Grosvenordale Company Milllocale
11cemeteries and burying grounds inside Thompson
BatesCarpenterDikeOld East ThompsonQuaddickSaint JosephSwissTourtellotteUphamWest ThompsonWilsonville

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

Help out

Start Thompson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Thompson’s history is told.

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
On the National Register

3 listings protect 205 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
205
each building in a district counts
first listed
1987
Thompson Hill Historic District
Thompson Hill Historic DistrictGeorge Pickering Nichols HouseNorth Grosvenordale Mill Historic Disrict
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival3
Gothic Revival1
Victorian Vernacular1
Colonial Revival1
Ranch Style1
Italianate1
Thompson Hill Historic DistrictGreek Revival
George Pickering Nichols HouseMid-19th Century
North Grosvenordale Mill Historic DisrictGreek Revival

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

The story so far

Thompson, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Thompson yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Thompson is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The town was named after Sir Robert Thompson, an English landholder. The population was 9,189 at the 2020 census. Thompson is located in the northeastern corner of the state and is bordered on the north by Webster, Massachusetts and Dudley, Massachusetts, on the east by Douglas, Massachusetts and Burrillville, Rhode Island, on the west by Woodstock, Connecticut, and on the south by Putnam, Connecticut. Thompson has the highest-banked race track (Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, a 5/8 mile oval and a restored 1.7 mile road course) in New England. This speedwa…

Thompson was established in 1785.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Thompson, 1753 to 1909

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1753Born hereSimon Larned is born here
  3. 1784Born hereIthiel Town is born here
  4. 1785
    FoundingThompson is established
  5. 19th century
  6. 1805Post officeThe Thompson post office opens
  7. 1829Post officeThe New Boston post office opens
  8. 1839Born hereGeorge Whitefield Davis is born here
  9. 1841Post officeThe Fishersville post office opens
  10. 1866Post officeThe Fishersville post office closes
  11. 1874Born hereAugustine Lonergan is born here
  12. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Windham County - Thompson - ED 8-36…
  13. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  14. 1890In the archiveWest Street and the Common
  15. 20th century
  16. 1908In the archiveThompson, Connecticut Public Library 1908 postcard
  17. 1909Post officeThe New Boston post office closes
By decade

Thompson, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1900s3 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Windham County - Thompson - ED 8-36, ED 8-37, ED 8-38, ED 8-39, E…18801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut -…West Street and the Common1890West Street and the CommonThompson, Connecticut Public Library 1908 postcardc. 1908Thompson, Connecticut Public Library 1908 postcardPostcard
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
Today15 recent
Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot), Thompson, CT. Not native2017Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot), Thompson, CT. Not nati…Rhexia virginica (Virginia meadow-beauty)2017Rhexia virginica (Virginia meadow-beauty)Oclemena nemoralis (bog aster, bog nodding-aster), Thompson, CT. State-endangered2017Oclemena nemoralis (bog aster, bog nodding-aster), Th…Oclemena nemoralis (bog aster, bog nodding-aster), Thompson, CT. State-endangered2017Oclemena nemoralis (bog aster, bog nodding-aster), Th…Long Pond2017Long PondLiatris spicata (sessile-headed blazing star), Thompson, CT. Not native2017Liatris spicata (sessile-headed blazing star), Thomps…Larix laricina (American larch, Tamarack), Picea mariana (black spruce), Long Pond2017Larix laricina (American larch, Tamarack), Picea mari…Larix laricina (American larch, Tamarack), Picea mariana (black spruce), Long Pond2017Larix laricina (American larch, Tamarack), Picea mari…Juncus diffusissimus (slim-fruited rush), Thompson, CT. Not native2017Juncus diffusissimus (slim-fruited rush), Thompson, C…Cladium mariscoides (smooth saw-sedge)2017Cladium mariscoides (smooth saw-sedge)Quinebaug River2013Quinebaug RiverQuaddick Reservoir, October 20122012Quaddick Reservoir, October 2012Thompson CT lg2010Thompson CT lgConnecticut Town History Sign2006Connecticut Town History SignConnecticut Town History Sign2006Connecticut Town History Sign
On the map

Thompson on the map, 1889 to 1970

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

Thompson on the 1889 USGS mapThompson on the 1893 USGS mapThompson on the 1919 USGS mapThompson on the 1955 USGS mapThompson 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 Thompson.

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 - Windham County - Thompson - ED 8-36, ED 8-37, ED 8-38, ED 8-39, E…
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Connecticut - Windham County - Thompson - ED 8-36, ED 8-37, ED 8-38, ED 8-39, E…, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Thompson, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,0001850190019502000Peak: 9,458

Between 2,928 and 9,458 people in every census since 1820.

20 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Famous people

11 famous people were born in Thompson

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

See all →
Augustine LonerganAmerican politician · b. 1874
I
Ithiel TownAmerican architect · b. 1784
George Whitefield DavisUnited States Army general, military Governor o… · b. 1839
S
Simon LarnedAmerican politician · b. 1753
James Brown MasonAmerican politician · b. 1775
J
John E. TourtellotteAmerican architect · b. 1869
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Woodstock7 historic placesA−Putnam5 historic placesB+QuinebaugIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Thompson’s history

What year was Thompson founded?

In 1785, according to Wikidata. Thompson’s post office opened in 1805, and the census of 1820 counted 2,928 people here.

How does Thompson rank for history?

Thompson is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #18 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 Thompson?

Three places: the Thompson Hill Historic District (listed 1987), the George Pickering Nichols House (1991) and the North Grosvenordale Mill Historic Disrict (1993).

How old are the homes in Thompson?

33% of Thompson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.9 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1963.

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 (17), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.