Dartmouth dates to 1650, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns · #129 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 212 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1790.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dartmouth is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #129 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dartmouth’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 Dartmouth’s 64.8 sits near the middle of its state (56% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 216 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1650.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size.
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 Dartmouth’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Before the 17th century, the lands that now constitute Dartmouth had been inhabited by Algonquian-speaking people. John Winthrop (1587–1649), the English leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, wrote in his journal that the indigenous community inhabiting the territory that would become Dartmouth was that of the Nukkehkammes. The Wampanoag, with a population is believed to have been about 12,000, had settlements throughout the territory that is now southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
Massasoit (c. 1581 – 1661), sachem of the Wampanoag, administered a territory roughly corresponding to Bristol and Plymouth counties. The Narragansett inhabited areas to the West.
Passages that mention Dartmouth, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts1858Read the page →
Read the text
Secretary's office, and signifying their desire of belonging to said Dartmouth, have that priviledge; and shall, with their polls and estates, belong to, and be a part of the said town of Dartmouth; they paying' their proportion of all taxes which shall have been laid on the said village of Acquishnet, or town of New Bedford, previously to their thus returning their names, as they would by law have
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts1858Read the page →
Read the text
Although I have given this work the title of a History of New Bedford, I have included considerable which more j3roperly belongs to the old township of Dartmouth, of which New Bedford is but a part, the old township having been divided in the year 1787, as before stated; and that territory, once known only as Dartmouth, included the present townships of Westport, Dartmouth, New Bedford
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
Dartmouth, 1650 to 1991
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.
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 1650, according to Wikidata. Dartmouth’s post office opened in 1810, and the first U.S. census counted 2,499 people here in 1790.
How does Dartmouth rank for history?
Dartmouth is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #129 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 Dartmouth?
7 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Hill School (listed 1980, the first), 4 historic districts with 212 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 216 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Dartmouth?
18% of Dartmouth’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (7), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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, 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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