Holbrook dates to 1710, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 81% of U.S. towns · #218 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1827.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Holbrook’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Holbrook is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #218 of 283 in Massachusetts. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Holbrook’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 Holbrook’s 3.5 sits below most of its state (19% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
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 (±5.1 points). Two sources give 1710.
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 Holbrook’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Holbrook was first settled by Europeans (mostly British colonists) in 1710 as the southern part of Old Braintree, and was officially incorporated on February 29, 1872, the last town created from the former lands of Braintree. It used to be known as East Randolph, being divided from Randolph by track from the Old Colony Railroad line.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, farming and cottage trades, particularly shoe production, dominated the economy. Slowly, the town evolved into a primarily residential community, with many residents commuting to work in Boston proper and the primary employment within the town being in service industries.
Passages that mention Holbrook, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men1884 · page 429Read the page →
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“Sect. 3. Said towns of Randolph and Holbrook shall be respectively liable for the support of all persons who now do or shall hereafter stand in need of relief as paupers, whose settlement was gained by or derived from a settlement gained or derived within their respective limits; and the town of Holbrook shall also pay annually to the town of Randolph onethird part of all costs of the support or relief of those persons who now do or shall hereafter stand in need of relief or support
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-19181918 · page 165Read the page →
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"Section 3. Said towns of Randolph and Holbrook shall be respectively liable for the support of all persons who now do or shall hereafter stand in need of relief as paupers, whose settlement was gained by or derived from a settlement gained or derived within their respective limits ; and the Town of Holbrook shall also pay annually to the Town of Randolph one-third part of all costs of the support or relief of those persons who now do or shall hereafter stand in need of relief of support as paupers, and have gained a settlement in said Town of Randolph in consequence of the military services of themselves or those through whom
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-19181918 · page 163Read the page →
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POLITICAL HISTORY Holbrook was originally a part of Braintree. When the Town of Randolph was set off from Braintree on March 9, 1793, it included the present Town of Holbrook, which remained a part of Randolph for nearly eighty years. The early history of the town is therefore embraced in the chapters on Braintree and Randolph. For many years the people living east of the Old Colony (now the New York, New Haven & Hartford) Railroad discussed in a desultory sort of way the advisability of dividing Randolph and establishing a new town east of the railroad
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men1884 · page 428Read the page →
Read the text
Though the death of Mr. Holbrook came with a sudden shock to his fellow-townsmen, it was no time for faltering in the prosecution of the work in hand, and the efforts of the advocates of a division of the On February 8th the Committee on Towns reported in the Senate a bill for the incorporation of the town of Holbrook, two of the House members of the com-
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.
By decade
Holbrook, decade by decade
4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 1710, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Holbrook’s post office opened in 1827, and the census of 1880 counted 2,130 people here.
How does Holbrook rank for history?
Holbrook is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #218 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 Holbrook?
Two places: the Holbrook Square Historic District (listed 2006) and the Roberts School (2007).
How old are the homes in Holbrook?
19% of Holbrook’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1957.
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 (4), the Library of Congress (2), 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, 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.
1892
1892
