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B+History
History · North Reading

North Reading dates to 1651, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 69% of U.S. towns · #257 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Jerry Nichols Tavern, the John Bickford House and the Rev. Daniel Putnam House. Its Register listings are the Jerry Nichols Tavern, the John Bickford House and the Rev. Daniel Putnam House. Below: 39 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1860.

1651founded
3on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
39old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From North Reading’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How North Reading began

When was North Reading founded?

1651

North Reading dates its founding to 1651 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 1,203 in 18602020 census: 15,554375 years

How historic is North Reading?

B+

More historic than 69% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1828.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives North Reading’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Reading is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #257 of 283 in Massachusetts. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Reading’s overall grade.
Founding era1651, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194010.4% of homes (±2.4) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register3 listings, 1.9 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 69%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 9%

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 North Reading’s 1.9 sits below most of its state (12% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1651.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.

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 North Reading’s past

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

A town in old photos39 old photos, postcards and papers, 1889–1941.Mystery photos33 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.Older than the countryEstablished in 1651, 125 years before the Declaration of Independence.On the map since 18868 editions of the USGS map, 1886 to 1987. Watch North Reading change.
★ What stands out · By decade

North Reading, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1900s4 items
Atlas of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, by Geo. H. Walker & Co., 1889, from the Digital Commonwealth - 33 commonwealt…1889Atlas of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, by Geo. H. …MapUSGS Lawrence, MA-NH 15 minute Quadrangle SE (1893)1893USGS Lawrence, MA-NH 15 minute Quadrangle SE (1893)Map of the towns of Wakefield, Stoneham, Reading, North Reading, and Lynnfield, 1907, by H. T. Whitman, from the Digita…1907Map of the towns of Wakefield, Stoneham, Reading, Nor…MapNorth Reading station postcard1907–1915North Reading station postcardPostcard
1910s–1930snothing 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
1940s2 items
Historic American Buildings Survey Frank O. Branzetti, Photographer Mar. 27, 1941 (a) EXT.-FRONT and SIDE, LOOKING NORT…1941Historic American Buildings Survey Frank O. Branzetti…Historic American Buildings Survey Frank O. Branzetti, Photographer Mar. 27, 1941 (b) EXT.-SIDE and REAR, LOOKING SOUTH…1941Historic American Buildings Survey Frank O. Branzetti…
1950s–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
Date unknown33 to date
TILLEY SarahDate?TILLEY SarahTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookTown of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Officers : also Report of the School Committee and the Trustees of Flin…Date?Town of North Reading Annual Report of the Town Offic…BookGuy M. Crosby Jr. HouseDate?Guy M. Crosby Jr. House
Today12 recent
Town Hall2022Town HallRyers Store2022Ryers StoreLittle Free Library, Ryers Store2022Little Free Library, Ryers StoreInternational Family Church2022International Family ChurchN Rdng1RGB 00692018N Rdng1RGB 0069Former North Reading station, May 20172017Former North Reading station, May 2017North Reading Middle School Entrance2016North Reading Middle School EntranceGovernor Patrick, North Reading, February 14, 20132013Governor Patrick, North Reading, February 14, 2013North Reading High School2012North Reading High SchoolNorth Reading Common, MA2010North Reading Common, MAJohn Bickford House2010John Bickford HouseSunset Ave2007Sunset Ave
Help out

Finish North Reading’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo33 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewUSGS Lawrence, MA-NH 15 minute Quadrang…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

North Reading, 1651 to 1941

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

  1. 17th century
  2. 1651
    FoundingNorth Reading is established
  3. 18th century
  4. 1720BuiltRev. Daniel Putnam House is built
  5. 1735BuiltJohn Bickford House is built
  6. 1785BuiltJerry Nichols Tavern is built
  7. 19th century
  8. 1828Post officeThe North Reading post office opens
  9. 1886On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1889In the archiveAtlas of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, by Geo. H. Walker & Co., 1889, from the Digital…
  11. 1893In the archiveUSGS Lawrence, MA-NH 15 minute Quadrangle SE (1893)
  12. 20th century
  13. 1907In the archiveMap of the towns of Wakefield, Stoneham, Reading, North Reading, and Lynnfield, 1907, by …
  14. 1941In the archiveHistoric American Buildings Survey Frank O. Branzetti, Photographer Mar. 27, 1941 (a) EXT…
The story

How North Reading came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of North Reading.

Read it all →

The area was first settled in 1651 when the town of Reading received a special land grant north of the Ipswich River. It was officially incorporated as the separate town of North Reading in 1853.

North Reading borders Andover, North Andover, Middleton, Lynnfield, Reading, and Wilmington.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

North Reading on the map, 1886 to 1987

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

North Reading on the 1886 USGS mapNorth Reading on the 1893 USGS mapNorth Reading on the 1918 USGS mapNorth Reading on the 1944 USGS mapNorth Reading on the 1951 USGS mapNorth Reading on the 1966 USGS mapNorth Reading on the 1977 USGS mapNorth Reading on the 1987 USGS map1886Lawrence 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 Reading.

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.

USGS Lawrence, MA-NH 15 minute Quadrangle SE (1893)
Retake this viewUSGS Lawrence, MA-NH 15 minute Quadrangle SE (1893), 1893

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in North Reading

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Jerry Nichols Tavern
Jerry Nichols Tavern, built 1785John Bickford House, built 1735Rev. Daniel Putnam House, built 1720
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

First Period2
Transitional2
Georgian Vernacular1
Jerry Nichols TavernGeorgian Vernacular · Built 1785
John Bickford HouseFirst Period · Built 1735
Rev. Daniel Putnam HouseFirst Period · Built 1720

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

People over time

North Reading, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00019001950200015,554

Grew from 1,203 people in 1860 to 15,554 in 2020, more than tenfold.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

North Reading’s post office has been open since 1828.

Hamlets and corners on the map
West Village
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside North Reading
Harmony ValePark StreetRiverside

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Reading85 historic placesALynnfield3 historic placesA−Middleton5 historic placesA−Wilmington10 historic placesA−Andover48 historic placesA+North Andover14 historic placesA

Questions about North Reading’s history

What year was North Reading founded?

In 1651, according to Wikidata. North Reading’s post office opened in 1828, and the census of 1860 counted 1,203 people here.

How does North Reading rank for history?

North Reading is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #257 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 North Reading?

Three places: the Jerry Nichols Tavern (listed 1984), the John Bickford House (1990) and the Rev. Daniel Putnam House (1990).

How old are the homes in North Reading?

10% of North Reading’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1975.

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 (50), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, 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.