Lunenburg dates to 1718, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #173 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 77 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1811.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lunenburg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lunenburg is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #173 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 Lunenburg’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 Lunenburg’s 64.7 sits near the middle of its state (56% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 77 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% 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 (±3.4 points). Two sources give 1718.
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 Lunenburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lunenburg was first settled by Europeans in 1718 and was officially incorporated in 1728. The name stems from one of the titles of King George II of Great Britain, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. During King George's War (1744–1748), French-allied First Nations, such as warriors of the Mi'kmaq or Abenaki Confederacy, raided the village and took settlers captive to Quebec.
Areas of neighboring Fitchburg were once part of Lunenburg, but broke away around 1764. The settlers found the walking distance to church and town meetings too great and needed their own town center.
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 1718, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Lunenburg’s post office opened in 1811, and the first U.S. census counted 1,277 people here in 1790.
How does Lunenburg rank for history?
Lunenburg is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #173 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 Lunenburg?
One place: the Lunenburg Historic District (listed 1988).
How old are the homes in Lunenburg?
13% of Lunenburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (1), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
c. 1930