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AHistory
History · Bernardston

Bernardston dates to 1738, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 88% of U.S. towns. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1790.

1738founded
2on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Bernardston’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Bernardston began

When was Bernardston founded?

1738

Bernardston dates its founding to 1738 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 691 in 17902020 census: 2,102288 years

How historic is Bernardston?

A

More historic than 88% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1813.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Bernardston’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bernardston is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns. 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 Bernardston’s overall grade.
Founding era1738, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194024.1% of homes (±7.6) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register2 listings, 4 historic buildings, 18.5 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 88%
NewerOlder

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 Bernardston’s 18.5 sits below most of its state (35% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1738.
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 (±7.6 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 Bernardston’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18906 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1990. Watch Bernardston change.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Bernardston, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Older than the countryEstablished in 1738, 38 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bernardston’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bernardston’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGladioli in Bloom at Bernardston Inn, B…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Bernardston on the map, 1890 to 1990

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

Bernardston on the 1890 USGS mapBernardston on the 1936 USGS mapBernardston on the 1945 USGS mapBernardston on the 1961 USGS mapBernardston on the 1977 USGS mapBernardston on the 1990 USGS map1890Greenfield 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 Bernardston.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Bernardston’s post office has been open since 1813. Another post office, North Bernardston, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bernardston
1813–today
North Bernardston
1849–1857
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Cold SpringHales CrossingNorth Bernardston
1cemetery inside Bernardston
Old

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

The story

How Bernardston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bernardston.

Read it all →

Bernardston, Massachusetts, initially known as Falls Fight Township, was a frontier settlement created by and for the families of soldiers who had fought in King Phillips War, specifically in the Battle of Turner's Falls, a major engagement under Captain Turner in 1676. Major John Burke was an early settler of the town, his father was one of the veterans granted land in Falls Fight, as was the son of Hope Atherton.

In November 1734, the following was presented to the General Court of Massachusetts:

ChaptersFalls Fight Township

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Bernardston in 1902

Passages that mention Bernardston, cut from the printed page as they were published.

2nd. That said library shall be controlled and managed by a board of trustees, consisting of the town clerk, school committee and selectmen, ex officio, of the town of Bernardston ; of all the resident clergymen and physicians of said town and of twelve other persons to be chosen by ballot at a leg…
History of the town of Bernardston, Franklin county, Massachusetts. 1736-1900. With genealogies1902 · page 220Read the page →
Read the text

2nd. That said library shall be controlled and managed by a board of trustees, consisting of the town clerk, school committee and selectmen, ex officio, of the town of Bernardston ; of all the resident clergymen and physicians of said town and of twelve other persons to be chosen by ballot at a legal meeting of the said town of Bernardston, and after the first election to be chosen at the annual town meeting in March, and to hold their offices for three years, one-third of said number to be elected annually, six of them shall be from the respective school districts, and three at large,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
ers, clergy, choir, selectmen and ex-selectmen of Bernardston and Leyden, people over 80 yeans in carriages, people over 70 years, sons and daughters of Bernardston who reside abroad, visitors from neighboring towns, district schools of Leyden, district schools of Bernardston and adjoining schools,…
History of the town of Bernardston, Franklin county, Massachusetts. 1736-1900. With genealogies1902 · page 195Read the page →
Read the text

ers, clergy, choir, selectmen and ex-selectmen of Bernardston and Leyden, people over 80 yeans in carriages, people over 70 years, sons and daughters of Bernardston who reside abroad, visitors from neighboring towns, district schools of Leyden, district schools of Bernardston and adjoining schools, teachers and scholars of Powers Institute, Goodale Academy, citizens of Leyden, citizens of Bernardston.

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

Bernardston, 1738 to 1980

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1738
    FoundingBernardston is established
  3. 1739BuiltBernardston Congregational Unitarian Church is built
  4. 1772Born hereSamuel Clesson Allen is born here
  5. 19th century
  6. 1805Born hereHenry W. Cushman is born here
  7. 1813Post officeThe Bernardston post office opens
  8. 1815Born hereJoseph Denison is born here
  9. 1816In the archive1816 ThanksgivingBall Bernardson Massachusetts
  10. 1849Post officeThe North Bernardston post office opens
  11. 1857Post officeThe North Bernardston post office closes
  12. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 20th century
  14. 1930In the archiveGladioli in Bloom at Bernardston Inn, Bernardston, Mass (77921)
  15. 1950In the archiveBernardston Fall River dam and railroad bridge postcard
  16. 1980Born hereAdam Harrington is born here
By decade

Bernardston, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1810s to the 1950s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1810s1 item
1816 ThanksgivingBall Bernardson Massachusetts18161816 ThanksgivingBall Bernardson MassachusettsDocument
1930s–1950s3 items
Gladioli in Bloom at Bernardston Inn, Bernardston, Mass (77921)c. 1930Gladioli in Bloom at Bernardston Inn, Bernardston, Ma…Land Utilization Town of Bernardston - DPLA - 19199a10b5ce0a85625c511b657999021939Land Utilization Town of Bernardston - DPLA - 19199a1…Bernardston Fall River dam and railroad bridge postcard1950sBernardston Fall River dam and railroad bridge postca…Postcard
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
Today7 recent
US 5 southbound2024US 5 southboundThe Farm Table2024The Farm TableNo Littering Allowed, Finger Print Testing used for ID - Bernardston, Massachusetts - DSC065552017No Littering Allowed, Finger Print Testing used for I…Bernardston, Massachusetts2012Bernardston, MassachusettsBernardston, Massachusetts2012Bernardston, MassachusettsBernardston, Massachusetts2012Bernardston, MassachusettsView north from MA Route 102007View north from MA Route 10
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.

Gladioli in Bloom at Bernardston Inn, Bernardston, Mass (77921)
Retake this viewGladioli in Bloom at Bernardston Inn, Bernardston, Mass (77921), c. 1930

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Bernardston

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1993
Bernardston Congregational Unitarian Church
Bernardston Congregational Unitarian Church, built 1739Powers Institute Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Mid-19th Century1
Greek Revival1
Italianate1
Bernardston Congregational Unitarian ChurchMid-19th Century · Built 1739
Powers Institute Historic DistrictItalianate

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

People over time

Bernardston, census by census

05001,0001,5002,00018001850190019502000Peak: 2,155

Between 691 and 2,155 people in every census since 1790.

20 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Bernardston

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

See all →
A
Adam HarringtonAmerican basketball player · b. 1980
S
Samuel Clesson AllenAmerican politician · b. 1772
Henry W. CushmanAmerican politician · b. 1805
Joseph DenisonAmerican Methodist pastor 1815-1900 · b. 1815
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

LeydenIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGreenfield10 historic placesA+Gill2 historic placesA+

Questions about Bernardston’s history

What year was Bernardston founded?

In 1738, according to Wikidata. Bernardston’s post office opened in 1813, and the first U.S. census counted 691 people here in 1790.

How does Bernardston rank for history?

Bernardston is more historic than 88% 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 Bernardston?

Two places: the Bernardston Congregational Unitarian Church (listed 1993) and the Powers Institute Historic District (1994).

How old are the homes in Bernardston?

24% of Bernardston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.6 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1972.

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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.