Watertown dates to 1780, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 79% of U.S. towns · #99 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 109 buildings. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Watertown’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Watertown is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #99 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 Watertown’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 Watertown’s 49.4 sits near the middle of its state (39% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 110 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 B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points). Two sources give 1780.
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 Watertown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Watertown, before colonization, belonged to the Paugasuck Indians. In that time, the colony was called "Mattatock", though it had several variations in spelling through the years. Colonization of the area today called Watertown began in 1684 when Thomas Judd and other proprietors bought the land as a group. The land where Watertown is now located, having originally belonged to Mattatock, officially changed its name to Watterbury (now Waterbury) by record on March 20, 1695, by consensus of a council.
In 1729, the Garnsey family settled in an area of Watterbury, now called Guernseytown. The oldest house in Watertown today was built in 1735 on Main Street. A poet from the Revolutionary War, John Trumbull, was born here in 1750.
Passages that mention Watertown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Waterbury, Connecticut1858 · page 303Read the page →
Read the text
After Mr. Scovill decided to remove, the parish, May 1, 1786, appointed a committee to confer with the parish in Watertown " about getting a minister," while another was " chosen to wait on the Bishop at Stratford and desire him to visit us."* Sep. 25tli, of the same year, a vote was passed " to appropriate any money which remains in their hands to the glazing and repairing the church." The next year, (Dec.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
March 13th, 1733, a tract of land in the northwest quarter, " one mile and a half each way from the centre," was sequestered for the town's use. The tract embraced the present village of Watertown. Soon, however, the restriction was taken oft' this territory. CHAPTER YII.
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
Watertown, 1750 to 1940
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1780, according to Wikidata. Watertown’s post office opened in 1802, and the census of 1820 counted 1,439 people here.
How does Watertown rank for history?
Watertown is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #99 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 Watertown?
Three places: the Skilton Road Bridge (listed 1991), the Roderick Bryan House (2000) and the Watertown Center Historic District (2001).
How old are the homes in Watertown?
16% of Watertown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1969.
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 (3), 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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