History · Newton

Newton has 177 places on the National Register

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #13 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

Dated to 1681 (Wikipedia’s history), with 49% of its homes built before 1940 and 31 historic districts holding 1,329 contributing buildings. Below: maps from 1884 on, the census since 1790, and every listing on the Register.

1681founded

177on the National Register

49%homes built before 1940

43famous people

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Quick answers

How Newton began

When was Newton founded?

1681

Newton dates its founding to 1681 (Wikipedia’s history). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 1,360 in 17902020 census: 88,923345 years

How historic is Newton?

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: Wikipedia. First post office: 1813.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Newton’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newton is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #13 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 3 inputs put Newton near the top nationally; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest.

A⁺

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newton’s overall grade.

Founding era1681, from Wikipedia: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA⁺Homes built before 194048.8% of homes (±2.0) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%A⁺National Register177 listings, 1,329 historic buildings, 149 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 96%

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 Newton’s 149 sits above most of its state (71% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 1,329 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% 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 (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1681.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Newton’s past

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

A National Historic Landmark177 places on the National Register, including Reginald A. Fessenden House, a National Historic Landmark.A historic districtThe Farlow and Kendrick Parks Historic District takes in 132 historic buildings.Lost villages11 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Newton, and 16 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Newton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

177 listings protect 1,329 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed

177

National Historic Landmark

Reginald A. Fessenden House

historic buildings protected

1,329

each building in a district counts

first listed

1973

Jackson Homestead

BuildingsDistrictsSites★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival34

Greek Revival26

Queen Anne25

Italianate22

Shingle Style21

Craftsman19

★ Landmark

Reginald A. Fessenden HouseVernacular · Built 1919

Jackson HomesteadEarly Republic · Built 1809

Dr. Henry Jacob Bigelow HouseShingle Style · Built 1887

Capt. Edward Durant HouseBuilt 1734

Woodland, Newton Highlands, and Newton Centre Railroad Stations, and Baggage and Express BuildingDistrict

Nathaniel Topliff Allen HomesteadGreek Revival · Built 1841

Colby HallSecond Empire · Built 1866

Ware Paper MillBuilt 1790

All 177 listings

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

Places that used to be

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

Newton had its own post office from 1827 to 1897. 11 other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Newton Lower Falls

1813–1902

Newton Upper Falls

1825–1897

Newton

1827–1897

Newton Centre

1834–1908

West Newton

1836–1897

Newtonville

1853–1897

Auburndale

1854–1897

Chestnut Hill

1870–1901

Newton Highlands

1871–1897

Eliot

1872–1872

18101920today

Hamlets and corners on the map

AuburndaleChestnut HillEliotNewton CenterNewton CornerNewton HighlandsNewton Lower FallsNewton Upper FallsNewtonvilleNonantumNorth VillageOak Hill ParkThompsonvilleWabanWest NewtonWoodland

Gone or out of use

Cochituate AqueductcanalCook Street StationlocaleEliot StationlocaleNewton Centre StationlocaleSudbury River AqueductcanalWorking Boys Homebuilding

6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Newton

Boston CatholicEast ParishNewtonSaint MarysSouthWest Parish

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

The story

How Newton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Newton.

Read it all →

Newton was originally part of "the newe towne", which was settled in 1630 and renamed Cambridge in 1638. The first English settlement of what is now Newton began in 1639. Roxbury minister John Eliot persuaded the Native American people of Nonantum, a sub-tribe of the Massachusett led by a sachem named Waban, to relocate to Natick in 1651, fearing that they would be exploited by colonists. Newton was incorporated as a separate town, known as Cambridge Village, on December 15, 1681, then renamed Newtown in 1691, and finally Newton in 1766. It became a city on January 5, 1874. Newton is known as The Garden City.

Chapters17th century 18th century 19th century 20th century 21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Newton in 1880

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

M It may not be deemed unworthy of mention, that the schools of the town of Newton at the World's Exposition at Vienna, were represented by photographs of the principal school-houses, a large and carefully prepared chart, showing details of the school system of Newton, population, appropriations fo… — **History of Newton, Massachusetts**1880 · page 448Read the page →
Read the text
M It may not be deemed unworthy of mention, that the schools of the town of Newton at the World's Exposition at Vienna, were represented by photographs of the principal school-houses, a large and carefully prepared chart, showing details of the school system of Newton, population, appropriations for education, etc., and a series of Newton School Reports ; and this representation won recognition from the government of the Exhibition, and the award to the town of Newton of a Diploma of Merit.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

The Worcester railroad, running in the direction of east and west, passes through thi village of Angicr's Corner, within the limits of the East Parish; thence crossing, it passes through the village of West Newton and the Parish of tin- West. In each of those Parishes, and in each of those two last… — **History of Newton, Massachusetts**1880 · page 490Read the page →
Read the text
The Worcester railroad, running in the direction of east and west, passes through thi village of Angicr's Corner, within the limits of the East Parish; thence crossing, it passes through the village of West Newton and the Parish of tin- West. In each of those Parishes, and in each of those two last-named villages, a Railroad Depot and Post-office is established, where their mails are brought from the city.
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

Newton, 1681 to 1979

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

17th century
1681
FoundingNewton is established
18th century
1734BuiltCapt. Edward Durant House is built
19th century
1809BuiltJackson Homestead is built
1813Post officeThe Newton Lower Falls post office opens
1825Post officeThe Newton Upper Falls post office opens
1827Post officeThe Newton post office opens
1887BuiltDr. Henry Jacob Bigelow House is built
1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1897Post officeThe Newton Upper Falls post office closes
1897Post officeThe Newton post office closes
20th century
1902Post officeThe Newton Lower Falls post office closes
1919BuiltReginald A. Fessenden House is built
1925Born hereJack Lemmon is born here
1967Born hereMatt LeBlanc is born here
1971Born hereAmy Poehler is born here
1976LandmarkReginald A. Fessenden House named a National Historic Landmark
1979Born hereJohn Krasinski is born here

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.

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On the map

Newton on the map, 1893 to 1987

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

1893Boston 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 Newton.

Every building

Newton, building by building, 1884–1910

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.

Newton fire insurance map, 1884, sheet 1

1884Sheet 1 of 15

Edition

Sheets

+13 more at the Library of Congress

BrickWoodStone

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

People over time

Newton, census by census

Between 1,360 and 92,384 people in every census since 1790.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

43 famous people were born in Newton

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

See all →

Jack LemmonAmerican actor · b. 1925

Matt LeBlancAmerican actor · b. 1967

Amy PoehlerAmerican actress · b. 1971

John KrasinskiAmerican actor and filmmaker · b. 1979

Anne SextonAmerican poet · b. 1928

Eli RothAmerican filmmaker and actor · b. 1972

Help out

Start Newton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Newton’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Share 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.

Needham13 historic placesA⁻Wellesley9 historic placesA Weston13 historic placesA⁺Watertown12 historic placesA Boston324 historic placesA⁺Brookline95 historic placesA⁺Waltham108 historic placesA

Questions about Newton’s history

What year was Newton founded?

In 1681, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Newton’s post office opened in 1813, and the first U.S. census counted 1,360 people here in 1790.

How does Newton rank for history?

Newton is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #13 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 Newton?

177 listings: 143 buildings, among them the Reginald A. Fessenden House (a National Historic Landmark since 1976) and the Jackson Homestead (listed 1973, the first), 31 historic districts with 1,135 contributing buildings, and 3 sites. 1,329 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Newton?

49% of Newton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1942.

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 Wikidata (6), the National Register of Historic Places (177), 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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