Ashfield dates to 1743, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 110 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1814.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ashfield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ashfield is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs put Ashfield near the top nationally; its age ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ashfield’s overall grade.
Massachusetts towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Massachusetts town has 46.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ashfield’s 581 sits above most of its state (94% of Massachusetts 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 still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.8 points). Two sources give 1743.
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 Ashfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Ashfield was first settled prior to 1743 by a freed slave named Heber who had purchased rights and drew lot #1 in 1739. Ashfield was officially incorporated in 1765. The town was originally called "Huntstown" for Captain Ephraim Hunt, who died in King William's War. Sixty of his crew had petitioned for and been granted the land as compensation for hardships and services during the ill designed "expedition to Canada" in 1690.
Passages that mention Ashfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the town of Ashfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts from its settlement in 1742 to 19101910Read the page →
Read the text
His will pro\ndcd that at his wife's death, all his property except his lot in the burying ground should be sold and the proceeds of such sale be used and applied under the direction of the overseers of the poor for the town of Ashfield, for the comfort, benefit and assistance of any persons who are inhabitants of the town of Ashfield, and who may, in the judgment of the overseers of the poor, be in need of such assistance — trusting to the discretion of said overseers of the poor to apply said amounts in such
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the town of Ashfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts from its settlement in 1742 to 19101910 · page 207Read the page →
Read the text
In a letter to the trustees regarding the fund he says : Feeling an interest in the disposition you may make of this money, I have been looking around for securities, but find none I like as well as the credit of the town of Ashfield. As the interest arising from this money to the town is returned to it again, or rather to its own Library, (in which every man, woman and child in Ashfield is so largely interested,) I will not doubt that the town will consent to receive this money as a loan, for
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
Ashfield, 1743 to 1963
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 1743, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ashfield’s post office opened in 1814, and the first U.S. census counted 1,459 people here in 1790.
How does Ashfield rank for history?
Ashfield is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. 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 Ashfield?
One place: the Ashfield Plain Historic District (listed 1991).
How old are the homes in Ashfield?
36% of Ashfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 (13), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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