Foster was platted on April 25, 1893, on land donated by William R. Foster, an early settler. At one time the town had a post office, blacksmith shop, railroad depot, two stores, a stockyard, a threshing machine, a grain elevator and a sawmill. Currently it consists of a few private residences, a couple of small shops and a motel.
A post office was established at Foster in 1883, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1905.
Passages that mention Foster, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Isaac Howard of Foster, Rhode Island, and his descendants who have borne the name of Howard1901Read the page →
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An agreement was entered into between the town of Foster and the Church Society by which the town agreed to take the building for a " town house " and keep it in repair, the church still having the right to use it as a house of worship.
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History of Isaac Howard of Foster, Rhode Island, and his descendants who have borne the name of Howard1901 · page 41Read the page →
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In 1856 Judge Howard built another and larger house, uniting it to the older one. These were his home from 1811 till his death, except that from 1838 to '41 he lived with his son Horace at Foster Center and again in 1843, after the death of Horace, he moved there to look after the interests of the estate, remaining till the spring of 1846, when he sold the property and returned to his farm.
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
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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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
