Charlemont dates to 1742, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 89 buildings between them. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1824.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Charlemont’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Charlemont is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs put Charlemont near the top nationally; its age ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Charlemont’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 Charlemont’s 805 sits above most of its state (95% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 90 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% 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 (±8.3 points). Two sources give 1742.
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 Charlemont’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Charlemont was first colonized by Moses Rice (1694–1755) who purchased 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) on April 23, 1743, that been previously set off as Boston Township Number 1 in 1735 by the Great and General Court. The town was along the distant frontier at the time, and was the subject of several raids by Native Americans. While plowing in the fields one day, Rice was shot and wounded by Indians lying in ambush. They also shot and killed another man, Phineas Arms, at the same time and captured Moses' eight-year-old grandson Asa, who had been riding the plow horse. Moses was taken to the adjoining woods, scalped, and left for dead, but Asa was carried off to Canada. The town was incorporated as Charlemont in 1765, most likely named for the town in County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland. The town was mostly rural, with farming being the main industry until the advent of the railroad, which traveled th…
Passages that mention Charlemont, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the town of Ashfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts from its settlement in 1742 to 19101910 · page 69Read the page →
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By the foregoing dates it will be seen that the settlers were really absent but a few months. About the time the guard was sent to Huntstown, guards were also stationed at the two forts in Charlemont and at two forts in Colrain. Scouts were also continually scouring the woods westward, and any sign of the enemy was quickly reported to the settlements, and with all these precautions the inhabitants felt a sense of partial sectuity.
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 63Read the page →
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In the forenoon of June 11, 1755, a party of Indians descended upon Charlemont where a few settlers were at work in the meadow in front of where the village now is, killed two men and carried ofT two prisoners. The inhabitants in the settlement quickly fled to the fort, and the remaining man in the meadow eluded the Indians and made quick time to Taylor fort in what is now known as East Charlemont. The good settlers in their time of trouble remembered their neighbors in Huntstown and
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
Charlemont, 1627 to 1951
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 1742, according to Wikidata. Charlemont’s post office opened in 1824, and the first U.S. census counted 665 people here in 1790.
How does Charlemont rank for history?
Charlemont 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 Charlemont?
4 listings: 1 building, 2 historic districts, the Charlemont Village Historic District and the Deerfield Valley Agricultural Society Fairgrounds, with 89 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 90 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Charlemont?
36% of Charlemont’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.3 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1965.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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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1930–1945