Oak Bluffs dates to 1642, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #18 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and two historic districts with 620 buildings between them. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1870.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Oak Bluffs’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oak Bluffs is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #18 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oak Bluffs’ 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 Oak Bluffs’ 1,156 sits above most of its state (98% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 625 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1642.
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 (±6.5 points).
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 Oak Bluffs’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first inhabitants of Oak Bluffs were the Wampanoag people, who have lived on Martha's Vineyard (Wampanoag name: Noepe) for approximately 10,000 years. The area that is now Oak Bluffs was called "Ogkeshkuppe," which means "damp/wet thicket or woods."
The area was later settled by Europeans in 1642 and was part of Edgartown until 1880, when it was officially incorporated as Cottage City. The town re-incorporated in 1907 as Oak Bluffs, named because the town was the site of an oak grove along the bluffs overlooking Nantucket Sound. Oak Bluffs was the only one of the six towns on the island to be consciously planned, and the only one developed specifically with tourism in mind.
Passages that mention Oak Bluffs, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts1911 · page 64Read the page →
Read the text
the establishment of the camp meetings resulted in the necessity for mail facilities, and in 1870 a post office was established with the designation of Vineyard Grove. This was changed, March 25, 1878, to Oak Bluffs, and almost immediately after, June II, 1878, changed back to its original name. After the incorporation of the town as Cottage City the name was altered March 30, 1880, to that of the new town, and remained so until Feb. 28, 1907, when it was called Oak Bluffs post office.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts1911 · page 184Read the page →
Read the text
small streams which run to the sea. A bridge at Mashacket is mentioned in 1653, again in 1676 and 1678. A couple of small bridges span Mile Brook and Menoda Creek, while a considerable pile bridge joins this town to Oak Bluffs, over the Sanchacantacket inlet. 'Deeds, VI, 20.
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.
By decade
Oak Bluffs, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Oak Bluffs. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1889Marthas Vineyard 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 Oak Bluffs.
Every building
Oak Bluffs, building by building, 1884–1923
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.
1884Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
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.
Retake this viewThe Consecrated Cedar, Oak Bluffs.Alternate Title: Martha's Vineyard, Camp Meeting, c. 1860
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Oak Bluffs’ page.
In 1642, according to Wikidata. Oak Bluffs’ post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1880 counted 672 people here.
How does Oak Bluffs rank for history?
Oak Bluffs is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #18 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 Oak Bluffs?
7 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 4 buildings, among them the Flying Horses (a National Historic Landmark since 1987), 2 historic districts, the Wesleyan Grove and the Martha's Vineyard Campground, with 620 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 625 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Oak Bluffs?
30% of Oak Bluffs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (18), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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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