Chester dates to 1760, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 149 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1811.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Chester’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chester is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs put Chester near the top nationally; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Chester’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 Chester’s 1,202 sits above most of its state (98% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 149 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1760.
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 (±9.4 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 Chester’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Most of what is now the towns of Huntington and Chester were sold at auction (along with other parcels) on June 2, 1762, as Plantation Number 9, to William Williams for £1,500. It was incorporated as Murrayfield by the Massachusetts General Court on October 31, 1765. The town’s name was often confused with that of nearby Myrifield, also spelled “Merryfield” (now Rowe, Massachusetts) so the town petitioned the General Court to change its name to “Fairfield”. The General Court chose the name “Chester” instead and passed the act to change its name on February 21, 1783.
The Western Railroad (later Boston & Albany Railroad) opened to Chester on May 24, 1841. In 1893 the collapse of a railroad bridge in Chester killed 14 people.
Chester Vilhige.— The Falleys came to Chester before the close of the 18th century and settled within what was known as Bolton grant in the southeast corner of Chester where the towns of Chester, Norwich and Blandford met. They establislied a store and a hotel, and the place was known as Falley's X ( 371 )
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A minister lot containing 100 acres was laid out, and a plot of "eight acres for a meeting-house place, training field and burying place" was laid out on the .southerly side. The present meeting house at Chester Centre stands on this eight-acre lot. A meeting-house was erected here a few rods south of the present church. It was 45 feet long by 40 feet wide ; the posts were 20 feet lugh. The frame was set up and boarded and shingled and the doors put in by the proprietors: such being one of condi-
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
Chester, 1760 to 1910
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 1760, according to Wikidata. Chester’s post office opened in 1811, and the first U.S. census counted 1,119 people here in 1790.
How does Chester rank for history?
Chester 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 Chester?
Three places: the Chester Center Historic District (listed 1988), the Chester Factory Village Historic District (1989) and the North Chester Historic District (1996).
How old are the homes in Chester?
45% of Chester’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.4 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1951.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
1885
1898