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History · North Plymouth

North Plymouth’s post office opened in 1874, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1886 on.

1874first post office
0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From North Plymouth’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How North Plymouth began

When was North Plymouth founded?

1874

The North Plymouth post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 3,983152 years
Founding year: the first North Plymouth post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about North Plymouth’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18868 editions of the USGS map, 1886 to 1977. Watch North Plymouth change.Old housesHalf of North Plymouth’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start North Plymouth’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCox's General Store, North Plymouth, Ma…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

North Plymouth on the map, 1886 to 1977

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

North Plymouth on the 1886 USGS mapNorth Plymouth on the 1894 USGS mapNorth Plymouth on the 1921 USGS mapNorth Plymouth on the 1934 USGS mapNorth Plymouth on the 1943 USGS mapNorth Plymouth on the 1950 USGS mapNorth Plymouth on the 1962 USGS mapNorth Plymouth on the 1977 USGS map1886Plymouth 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 North Plymouth.

The story so far

North Plymouth, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of North Plymouth yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

North Plymouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Plymouth in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, North Plymouth had a population of 3,983. It is best known as the location of Cordage Park, a small village where the Plymouth Cordage Company was once headquartered. The village is now home to Cordage Commerce Center, a large retail development that consists of offices and stores.

Its first post office opened in 1874. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,600 to 3,983 (+11%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

North Plymouth, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s1 item
Cox's General Store, North Plymouth, Mass (83565)c. 1930Cox's General Store, North Plymouth, Mass (83565)
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
Today5 recent
North Plymouth Rail Trail2010North Plymouth Rail TrailMilestone2010MilestoneHolmes Reservation, Plymouth MA2010Holmes Reservation, Plymouth MAHedge School2010Hedge SchoolDowntown Plymouth and2008Downtown Plymouth and
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.

Cox's General Store, North Plymouth, Mass (83565)
Retake this viewCox's General Store, North Plymouth, Mass (83565), c. 1930

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to North Plymouth

Nobody well known was born in North Plymouth itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
G
Geena DavisAmerican actress · b. 1956
Dave FarrellAmerican bassist · b. 1977
Tom Everett ScottAmerican actor · b. 1970
Francis SpellmanAmerican Roman Catholic cardinal · b. 1889
David ChokachiAmerican actor · b. 1968
Eric FlaimAmerican speed skater · b. 1967
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Plymouth23 historic placesADuxbury15 historic placesAKingston4 historic placesA−

Questions about North Plymouth’s history

What year was North Plymouth founded?

The North Plymouth post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.