Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1828.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Avon’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Avon is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #230 of 283 in Massachusetts. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Avon’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 Avon’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (3% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1700.
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 (±10.6 points).
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 Avon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first settler in the land that would become Avon was Moses Curtis (c. 1720), a blacksmith from Braintree, Massachusetts. With most of his surviving children living near him, by 1749 the locale was called Curtis Corners.
The Third Baptist Meeting House was erected in East Stoughton on March 30, 1848.
Following a petition sent through the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate, the new town of Avon was separated from Stoughton and incorporated on February 21, 1888. The town was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The town's seal features a portrait of William Shakespeare, who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Passages that mention Avon, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-19181918 · page 57Read the page →
Read the text
Soon after the town was incorporated a movement was inaugurated to establish a system of waterworks. A petition was presented to the Legislature asking for authority to issue bonds for that purpose and on April 9, 1889, the governor approved an act empowering the Town of Avon "to supply itself and its inhabitants with water for the extinguishment of fires and for domestic and other purposes," etc., and to take "by purchase or otherwise and hold the waters of Porter's Brook or spring in said town." The act also authorized the town to borrow not more than thirty thousand dollars, issue bonds therefore and provide a sinking
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-19181918 · page 58Read the page →
Read the text
Save the Union 1861-1865 Above the inscription are two crossed swords carved in bas relief, and on the top of the monument is the figure of an infantry soldier. Avon was a part of Stoughton at the time of the Civil War, but the monument commemorates the gallant deeds of those who went from that part of Stoughton now comprising Avon. On the die of the monument is the following: Presented by
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
Avon, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. 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 1700, according to Wikidata. Avon’s post office opened in 1828, and the census of 1890 counted 1,384 people here.
How does Avon rank for history?
Avon is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #230 of 283 in Massachusetts. 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.
How old are the homes in Avon?
37% of Avon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.6 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1954.
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 (12), Wikipedia, 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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