Windsor dates to 1633, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 87% of U.S. towns · #64 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
41 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 83 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Windsor’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Windsor is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #64 of 155 in Connecticut. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Windsor’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 Windsor’s 40.4 sits below most of its state (34% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 119 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1633.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.7 points) is firm at this size.
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 Windsor’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The coastal areas and riverways were traditional areas of settlement by various American Indian cultures, who had been in the region for thousands of years. They relied on the rivers for fishing, water and transportation. Before European contact, the historic Pequot and Mohegan tribes had been one Algonquian-speaking people. After they separated, they became competitors and traditional enemies in the Connecticut region.
Passages that mention Windsor, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of ancient Windsor, Connecticut1859 · page 402Read the page →
Read the text
"At a meeting, Nov. 6, 1780, voted, that the Selectmen of this town with the assistance of Capt. Benj. Allyu, Capt. Sam'l Stoughton, Jr., Mr. Seth Dexter, and Mr. Isaac Pinney, Jr., be a committee to class the inhabitants of the town of Windsor into so many equal classes by the list of the poles and rateable estate of the inhabitants of the town of Windsor, and others having estates in this town, given in August 1719, as the town of Windsor is deficient in their quota of men to fill up the Con-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut1891 · page 850Read the page →
Read the text
David Bissell's Deed of a Way to the Town of Windsor, 1730. He conveys " for and in consideration of the sum of forty shillings. " paid by Sam'l Mather and Sam'l Strong of Windsor, and the rest of the inhabitants of said Windsor, to them " one certain tract of land lying in said Windsor, and is in length from the higliway eastward to Windsor Town Commons, and is in breadth four foot north and south till it runs one hundred and nine rods and thirteen foot, the whole length throughout eastward till it come to Windsor Commons, and it is bounded north on my own land, east on Windsor Commons, south on land granted for a highway by myself, Jona-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut1891 · page 851Read the page →
Read the text
Whereas, the General Assembly at their sessions in October last past, granted liberty to the town of Windsor to change the two highways laid out by the jury on the east side of the Great River, in Windsor, viz., the Upper and Lower ways, provided it be done in the space of six months; and the town of Windsor did at their meeting held by adjournment Feb'y 3rd, 1728/9, choose, appoint, and fully impower a committee to repair to and view the upper and lower highways and sundry other places proposed for highways, to consider the conveniency of the ground or places most fit for highways, and to determine and fix the place or places for said highways, and procure the same as cheap as miglit
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of ancient Windsor, Connecticut1859 · page 397Read the page →
Read the text
journment, the Moderator of the former meeting not being present, Capt. Nath^ Loomis was chosen Moderator," " at said meeting, Voted, that each able bodied effective man, that is an inhabitant of the town of Windsor, that shall enlist into either of the Eight Battalions of Continental Troops belonging to the State of Connecticut, or that has enlisted since the 22d day of April last, shall receive of the Selectmen of the town of Windsor an order upon the Treasurer for the town of Windsor for the sum of Thirty
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.
By decade
Windsor, decade by decade
3 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 1633, according to Wikidata. Windsor’s post office opened in 1802, and the census of 1820 counted 3,008 people here.
How does Windsor rank for history?
Windsor is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #64 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 Windsor?
41 listings: 38 buildings, among them the Oliver Ellsworth Homestead (a National Historic Landmark since 1989), 2 historic districts, the Palisado Avenue Historic District and the Broad Street Green Historic District, with 83 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 119 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Windsor?
17% of Windsor’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (15), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (41), 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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