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AHistory
History · Belmont

Belmont dates to 1636, and 57% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #87 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

6 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Red Top, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 98 buildings between them. Below: 14 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1860.

1636founded
6on the National Register
57%homes built before 1940
14old photos & papers
31famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Belmont’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Belmont began

When was Belmont founded?

1636

Belmont dates its founding to 1636 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 1,198 in 18602020 census: 27,295390 years

How historic is Belmont?

A

More historic than 94% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1854.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Belmont’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Belmont is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #87 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Belmont’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194057.1% of homes (±3.4) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register6 listings, 103 historic buildings, 37.9 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 94%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 70%

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 Belmont’s 37.9 sits near the middle of its state (43% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 103 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1636.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 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 Belmont’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Older than the countryEstablished in 1636, 140 years before the Declaration of Independence.On the map since 18936 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1985. Watch Belmont change.A historic districtThe Pleasant Street Historic District takes in 60 historic buildings.A National Historic Landmark6 places on the National Register, including Red Top, a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Belmont, 1636 to 1956

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 17th century
  2. 1636
    FoundingBelmont is established
  3. 18th century
  4. 1725BuiltAbraham Hill House is built
  5. 19th century
  6. 1850In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massachusetts - Middlesex County - ED 9-4…
  7. 1854Post officeThe Belmont post office opens
  8. 1863Post officeThe Waverly post office opens
  9. 1877BuiltRed Top is built
  10. 1892Post officeThe Waverly post office closes
  11. 1892Post officeThe Waverley post office opens
  12. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 20th century
  14. 1901In the archiveWaverly stations postcard
  15. 1905Post officeThe Belmont post office closes
  16. 1905Post officeThe Waverley post office closes
  17. 1916Born hereJean Rogers is born here
  18. 1917In the archiveMassachusetts - Cambridge
  19. 1918Born hereChandler Robbins is born here
  20. 1921BuiltArlington Reservoir is built
  21. 1940In the archiveLand Utilization Town of Belmont - DPLA - da6b254f937ba303444d026f40bbf07b
  22. 1956In the archiveSteam train at Belmont station 1956 postcard
On the map

Belmont on the map, 1893 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Belmont. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Belmont on the 1893 USGS mapBelmont on the 1903 USGS mapBelmont on the 1944 USGS mapBelmont on the 1956 USGS mapBelmont on the 1971 USGS mapBelmont on the 1985 USGS map1893Boston sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Belmont.

On the National Register

6 listings protect 103 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
6
National Historic Landmark
1
Red Top
historic buildings protected
103
each building in a district counts
first listed
1971
Red Top
Pleasant Street Historic DistrictArlington Reservoir, built 1921Abraham Hill House, built 1725Belmont Railroad StationMcLean Hospital National Register DistrictRed Top, built 1877★
BuildingsDistrictsStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Georgian1
Federal1
Greek Revival1
Italianate1
Second Empire1
Queen Anne1
★ Landmark
Red TopBuilt 1877
Pleasant Street Historic DistrictGeorgian
Arlington ReservoirBuilt 1921
Abraham Hill HouseFirst Period · Built 1725
Belmont Railroad StationLate 19th and Early 20th Century American
All 6 listings
McLean Hospital National Register DistrictDistrict · listed 2003

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Belmont came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Belmont.

Read it all →

Belmont was established on March 18, 1859, by former citizens of, and on land from the bordering towns of, Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then known as West Cambridge, to the north. The founders desired a dry township (alcohol is now legal to purchase in Belmont). The town was named after Bellmont, the 200-acre (0.8 km2) estate of the largest donor to its creation, John Perkins Cushing, after which Cushing Square is named. After Cushing's estate nearly burned to the ground, it was converted to a Belmont Public Library branch. The easternmost section of the town, including the western portion of Fresh Pond, was annexed by Cambridge in 1880. The annexation was the result of a dispute over a slaughterhouse licensed in 1878 and situated next to Fresh Pond; Cambridge wished to protect Fresh Pond (part of its water supply network) by removing neighboring buildin…

ChaptersRailroad historyPresent day

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Belmont, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1950s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s7 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massachusetts - Middlesex County - ED 9-49, ED 9-50, ED 9-5118501940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massa…1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massachusetts - Middlesex County - ED 9-52, ED 9-53, ED 9-54, ED 9-5518501940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massa…1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massachusetts - Middlesex County - ED 9-56, ED 9-57, ED 9-5818501940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massa…1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massachusetts - Middlesex County - ED 9-59, ED 9-60, ED 9-61, ED 9-6218501940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massa…1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massachusetts - Middlesex County - ED 9-67, ED 9-68, ED 9-69, ED 9-7018501940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massa…1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massachusetts - Middlesex County - ED 9-71, ED 9-72, ED 9-7318501940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massa…The New Town of1859The New Town of
1900s–1910s5 items
Waverly stations postcard1901–1907Waverly stations postcardPostcardBelmont station postcard, circa 1907c. 1907Belmont station postcard, circa 1907PostcardWaverley station postcard1907–1915Waverley station postcardPostcardMassachusetts - Cambridge1917Massachusetts - CambridgeMassachusetts - Cambridge1917Massachusetts - Cambridge
1940s–1950s2 items
Land Utilization Town of Belmont - DPLA - da6b254f937ba303444d026f40bbf07b1940Land Utilization Town of Belmont - DPLA - da6b254f937…Steam train at Belmont station 1956 postcard1956Steam train at Belmont station 1956 postcardPostcard
1960s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today8 recent
Benton Square facing northwest, April 20172017Benton Square facing northwest, April 2017Marian T. Ryan & Michael J. Foley - Land Records2017Marian T. Ryan & Michael J. Foley - Land RecordsBookBelmont, Trapelo Road, Groundbreaking, October 11, 20132013Belmont, Trapelo Road, Groundbreaking, October 11, 20…Super Tuesday2012Super TuesdayLooking north on Leonard Street, Belmont Center MA2010Looking north on Leonard Street, Belmont Center MAFrog Pond Tree and Reflection2008Frog Pond Tree and ReflectionFrog Pond2008Frog PondPostcardBelmontMATownHall19132008PostcardBelmontMATownHall1913Postcard
Every building

Belmont, building by building, 1905–1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Belmont fire insurance map, 1905, sheet 11905Sheet 1 of 7
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massachusetts - Middlesex County - ED 9-49, ED 9-50, ED 9-51
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Massachusetts - Middlesex County - ED 9-49, ED 9-50, ED 9-51, 1850

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Belmont’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Belmont, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,000190019502000Peak: 28,715

Between 1,198 and 28,715 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Belmont’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

31 famous people were born in Belmont

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Jean RogersActress · b. 1916
Sebastian JungerAmerican author, journalist and documentarian · b. 1962
Brian DeeseAmerican business executive and government offi… · b. 1978
Chandler RobbinsAmerican ornithologist and natural history writ… · b. 1918
A
Addison PowellAmerican actor · b. 1921
T
Thomas Vose DailyRoman Catholic bishop · b. 1927
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Belmont had its own post office from 1854 to 1905. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Belmont
1854–1905
Waverly
1863–1892
Waverley
1892–1905
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Payson ParkWaverley
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Belmont
BelmontHighland Meadow

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Belmont’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Descri…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Waltham108 historic placesAArlington57 historic placesA+Cambridge204 historic placesA+Watertown12 historic placesALexington18 historic placesA

Questions about Belmont’s history

What year was Belmont founded?

In 1636, according to Wikidata. Belmont’s post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1860 counted 1,198 people here.

How does Belmont rank for history?

Belmont is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #87 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.

What is on the National Register in Belmont?

6 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Red Top (a National Historic Landmark since 1971), 2 historic districts, the Pleasant Street Historic District and the McLean Hospital National Register District, with 98 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 103 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Belmont?

57% of Belmont’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1938.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (22), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.