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A+History
History · Montague

Montague dates to 1715, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #6 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 454 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1790.

1715founded
4on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
12famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Montague’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Montague began

When was Montague founded?

1715

Montague dates its founding to 1715 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 906 in 17902020 census: 8,580311 years

How historic is Montague?

A+

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1815.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Montague’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Montague is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #6 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 3 inputs put Montague near the top nationally; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Montague’s overall grade.
Founding era1715, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194044.5% of homes (±6.1) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register4 listings, 454 historic buildings, 535 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the top 1%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 98%

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 Montague’s 535 sits above most of its state (93% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 454 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% 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 (±6.1 points). Two sources give 1715.

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 Montague’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Turner Falls Historic District takes in 250 historic buildings.On the map since 18906 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1990. Watch Montague change.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Montague, and 5 old place names are still on the map.Older than the countryEstablished in 1715, 61 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

4 listings protect 454 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
454
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Turner Falls Historic District
Turner Falls Historic DistrictAlvah Stone MillMontague Center Historic DistrictMillers Falls Village Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Mid-19th Century2
Greek Revival2
Colonial1
Early Republic1
Gothic Revival1
19th and 20th Century Revivals1
Turner Falls Historic DistrictDistrict
Alvah Stone MillMid-19th Century
Montague Center Historic DistrictColonial
All 4 listings
Millers Falls Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2021

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

On the map

Montague on the map, 1890 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Montague. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Montague on the 1890 USGS mapMontague on the 1936 USGS mapMontague on the 1941 USGS mapMontague on the 1954 USGS mapMontague on the 1975 USGS mapMontague on the 1990 USGS map1890Greenfield sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Montague.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Montague’s post office has been open since 1815. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Montague
1815–today
Grouts Corners
1847–1870
Montague City
1866–1963
Turners Falls
1871–today
Lake Peasant
1887–today
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Grounts CornerLake PleasantMontague CityMontague StationTurners Falls
Gone or out of use
Rices Ferrylocale
10cemeteries and burying grounds inside Montague
Aaron Clark MemorialChestnut HillDry HillElm GroveHighlandLocust HillOld SouthOur Lady of CzechowskiSpringdaleTown Farm

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Montague came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Montague.

Read it all →

Originally inhabited by the Pocomtuc tribe, the area was known as Peskeompskut. Montague was first settled by Europeans in 1715 and was incorporated in 1754. The town has five villages within it: Montague Center, Montague City, Turners Falls, Millers Falls, and Lake Pleasant. Montague Center was the original European settlement and was originally a part of the town of Sunderland. Lake Pleasant was a prominent spiritualist campground. Turners Falls was a planned mill community (similar to but less successful than that at Lowell, Massachusetts) that developed when the canal was converted to use for power production rather than transportation in the mid-19th century. Between 1974 and 1980, the Montague Nuclear Power Plant was proposed for construction in the town. In October 2010, the village of Turners Falls hosted the 1st annual Franklin County Pumpkinfest, now known as The Great Falls…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Montague in 1902

Passages that mention Montague, cut from the printed page as they were published.

In 185 1 and again in 1832, Mr. Andrews ably represented the town of Montague in legislative halls as Representative, while in 1855 he was sent as Senator from Franklin County. For seven years he was an active member of the board of trustees of the Shelburne Falls Academy. In 1859 the honorary degr…
History of the town of Bernardston, Franklin county, Massachusetts. 1736-1900. With genealogies1902 · page 155Read the page →
Read the text

In 185 1 and again in 1832, Mr. Andrews ably represented the town of Montague in legislative halls as Representative, while in 1855 he was sent as Senator from Franklin County. For seven years he was an active member of the board of trustees of the Shelburne Falls Academy. In 1859 the honorary degree of A. M. was conferred upon him by Brown University. Thus we see that Mr.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
der and Jason Brown. They advertised to manufacture wool on shares. Up to 1828 John Wait and Jason Brown were in company, then the business was advertised as being for sale, also a sawmill on the premises. This was later owned by Richard Montague, being purchased by him of Truman Shattuck, and this…
History of the town of Bernardston, Franklin county, Massachusetts. 1736-1900. With genealogies1902 · page 64Read the page →
Read the text

der and Jason Brown. They advertised to manufacture wool on shares. Up to 1828 John Wait and Jason Brown were in company, then the business was advertised as being for sale, also a sawmill on the premises. This was later owned by Richard Montague, being purchased by him of Truman Shattuck, and this was the one owned by Col. Ferry and A. Weatherhead. About 1810 Oliver and Ruggles Bagg began to run a carding machine and fulling mill on the west branch of Fall River, west of the old Chase tavern. This

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

Montague, 1715 to 1963

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1715
    FoundingMontague is established
  3. 1797Born hereLuther Severance is born here
  4. 19th century
  5. 1815Post officeThe Montague post office opens
  6. 1847Post officeThe Grouts Corners post office opens
  7. 1849Born hereCornelia Clapp is born here
  8. 1866Post officeThe Montague City post office opens
  9. 1870Post officeThe Grouts Corners post office closes
  10. 1878Born hereRaymond Smith Dugan is born here
  11. 1890In the archiveMontague Pelham Rod Shop and Employees circa 1890 (Betsy Trumbull)
  12. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 20th century
  14. 1903In the archiveStreetcar on Bridge Street, Montague - 1903 postcard
  15. 1910In the archiveMain Street, Millers Falls, MA
  16. 1928Born hereRussell S. Drago is born here
  17. 1930In the archiveTurners Falls -- Gill Bridge, Turners Falls, Mass (67506)
  18. 1963Post officeThe Montague City post office closes
By decade

Montague, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1900s6 items
Montague Pelham Rod Shop and Employees circa 1890 (Betsy Trumbull)1890Montague Pelham Rod Shop and Employees circa 1890 (Be…Streetcar on Bridge Street, Montague - 1903 postcardc. 1903Streetcar on Bridge Street, Montague - 1903 postcardPostcardSuspension Bridge, Turners Falls, MA1907Suspension Bridge, Turners Falls, MAPostcardThe Center1907The CenterMontague MA Jan 29 19081908Montague MA Jan 29 1908Main Street, Looking North, Montague City, MA1909Main Street, Looking North, Montague City, MAPostcard
1910s–1930s6 items
Main Street, Millers Falls, MA1910Main Street, Millers Falls, MAPostcardMillers Falls Company, Millers Falls, MA1910Millers Falls Company, Millers Falls, MAPostcardMillers River, Millers Falls, MA1912Millers River, Millers Falls, MAPostcardPaper Mill and Power House, Millers Falls, MA1912Paper Mill and Power House, Millers Falls, MAPostcardTurners Falls -- Gill Bridge, Turners Falls, Mass (67506)c. 1930Turners Falls -- Gill Bridge, Turners Falls, Mass (67…PostcardMontague factory and employees 1931 catalog1931Montague factory and employees 1931 catalog
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Every building

Montague, building by building, 1914

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 sheet.

Montague fire insurance map, 1914, sheet 11914Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Montague Pelham Rod Shop and Employees circa 1890 (Betsy Trumbull)
Retake this viewMontague Pelham Rod Shop and Employees circa 1890 (Betsy Trumbull), 1890

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Montague’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Montague, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,000180018501900195020008,580

Grew from 906 people in 1790 to 8,580 in 2020, 9 times over.

20 censuses, 1790–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Montague’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

12 famous people were born in Montague

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
R
Raymond Smith DuganAmerican astronomer · b. 1878
C
Cornelia ClappAmerican zoologist · b. 1849
Luther SeveranceAmerican politician · b. 1797
R
Russell S. DragoAmerican inorganic chemist · b. 1928
Amán RawsonAmerican physician and merchant · b. 1792
James Griswold MerrillAmerican minister (died 1920) · b. 1840
Help out

Finish Montague’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMontague Pelham Rod Shop and Employees …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

ErvingIts storyB+Turners Falls1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWendell1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDeerfield1 historic placeA+Gill2 historic placesA+Millers Falls1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGreenfield10 historic placesA+Sunderland1 historic placeA

Questions about Montague’s history

What year was Montague founded?

In 1715, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Montague’s post office opened in 1815, and the first U.S. census counted 906 people here in 1790.

How does Montague rank for history?

Montague is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #6 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 Montague?

4 listings: 4 historic districts with 454 contributing buildings. 454 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Montague?

45% of Montague’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1951.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (12), 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, 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.