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AHistory
History · Reading

Reading dates to 1639, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #92 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

85 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 30 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1885 on and the census since 1790.

1639founded
85on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
22famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Reading began

When was Reading founded?

1639

Reading dates its founding to 1639 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 1,802 in 17902020 census: 25,518387 years

How historic is Reading?

A

More historic than 94% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1812.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Reading’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Reading is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #92 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Reading’s overall grade.
Founding era1639, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194026.9% of homes (±3.3) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register85 listings, 128 historic buildings, 50.0 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 94%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 68%

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 Reading’s 50.0 sits near the middle of its state (49% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 128 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1639.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 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 Reading’s past

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

Landmarks on the Register85 places on the National Register.Older than the countryEstablished in 1639, 137 years before the Declaration of Independence.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Reading are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18868 editions of the USGS map, 1886 to 1987. Watch Reading change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

85 historic places in Reading

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

places listed
85
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
128
each building in a district counts
first listed
1975
Parker Tavern
Parker Tavern, built 1694Alden Batchelder House, built 1849Asa M. Cook House, built 1872Batchelder House, built 1783Battell House, built 1806Benjamin Beard House, built 1852Boston and Maine Railroad Depot, built 1870Bowser Gazebo, built 1894Brackett House, built 1920Carroll-Hartshorn House, built 1700Carter Mansion, built 1802Charles Manning House, built 1850Charles Wells House, built 1894Daniel Nichols Homestead, built 1741Dewey Place, built 1853Durgin House, built 1873Eaton-Prescott House, built 1757Edwin Bassett House, built 1850Ephrain Weston House, built 1800Francis Brooks House, built 1887George Batchelder House, built 1825Gilman Coggin House, built 1847Hartwell House, built 1918Highland School, built 1896House at 11 Beach Street, built 1882House at 1177 Main Street, built 1842House at 129 High Street, built 1890House at 16 Mineral Street, built 1874House at 199 Summer Avenue, built 1878House at 206 West Street, built 1844House at 242 Summer Avenue, built 1900House at 26 Center Avenue, built 1865House at 322 Haven Street, built 1882House at 42 Salem Street, built 1840House at 44 Temple Street, built 1910House at 483 Summer Avenue, built 1840House at 57 Woburn Street, built 1889House at 77 Howard Street, built 1895House at 79-81 Salem Street, built 1840Jabez Weston House, built 1779Jacob Manning House, built 1877James Nichols House, built 1795Joseph Bancroft House, built 1833Joseph Damon House, built 1754Joseph Parker House, built 1795Joseph Temple House, built 1872Kemp Barn, built 1853Kemp Place, built 1853Luther Elliott House, built 1847Mark Temple House, built 1753Nathaniel Batchelder House, built 1760Octagon House, built 1850Old Hose House, built 1902Parker House, built 1792Parker House, built 1881Parker, Capt. Nathaniel, Red House, built 1765Pierce House, built 1878Pierce Organ Pipe Factory, built 1852Pratt House, built 1809Reading Municipal Building, built 1883Reading Municipal Light and Power Station, built 1894Rev. Peter Sanborn House, built 1812Roberts House, built 1911Rowhouses at 256-274 Haven Street, built 1886Samuel Bancroft House, built 1748Samuel Parker House, built 1795Stephen Hall House, built 1850Stillman Parker House, built 1852Stillman Pratt House, built 1840Thomas Symonds House, built 1785Timothy Hartshorn House, built 1787Walnut Street School, built 1853Washington Damon House, built 1840Wendell Bancroft House, built 1867William Parker House, built 1796Brande House, built 1889Masonic Block, built 1893Ace Art Company, built 1924Common Historic DistrictHarnden-Browne House, built 1831Haverhill Street Milestone, built 1815Reading Standpipe, built 1890Smith Shoe Shop, built 1845Woburn Street Historic DistrictPearl Street School, built 1939
BuildingsDistrictsStructuresObjects

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival17
Italianate14
Federal12
Queen Anne12
Gothic Revival5
Vernacular Georgian5
Parker TavernFirst Period · Built 1694
Alden Batchelder HouseItalianate · Built 1849
Asa M. Cook HouseSecond Empire · Built 1872
Batchelder HouseFederal Vernacular · Built 1783
Battell HouseFederal · Built 1806
Benjamin Beard HouseGreek Revival · Built 1852
Boston and Maine Railroad DepotStick · Built 1870
Bowser GazeboBuilt 1894
All 85 listings
Brackett HouseBuilding · listed 1984Carroll-Hartshorn HouseBuilding · listed 1984Carter MansionBuilding · listed 1984Charles Manning HouseBuilding · listed 1984Charles Wells HouseBuilding · listed 1984Daniel Nichols HomesteadBuilding · listed 1984Dewey PlaceBuilding · listed 1984Durgin HouseBuilding · listed 1984Eaton-Prescott HouseBuilding · listed 1984Edwin Bassett HouseBuilding · listed 1984Ephrain Weston HouseBuilding · listed 1984Francis Brooks HouseBuilding · listed 1984George Batchelder HouseBuilding · listed 1984Gilman Coggin HouseBuilding · listed 1984Hartwell HouseBuilding · listed 1984Highland SchoolBuilding · listed 1984House at 11 Beach StreetBuilding · listed 1984House at 1177 Main StreetBuilding · listed 1984House at 129 High StreetBuilding · listed 1984House at 16 Mineral StreetBuilding · listed 1984House at 199 Summer AvenueBuilding · listed 1984House at 206 West StreetBuilding · listed 1984House at 242 Summer AvenueBuilding · listed 1984House at 26 Center AvenueBuilding · listed 1984House at 322 Haven StreetBuilding · listed 1984House at 42 Salem StreetBuilding · listed 1984House at 44 Temple StreetBuilding · listed 1984House at 483 Summer AvenueBuilding · listed 1984House at 57 Woburn StreetBuilding · listed 1984House at 77 Howard StreetBuilding · listed 1984House at 79-81 Salem StreetBuilding · listed 1984Jabez Weston HouseBuilding · listed 1984Jacob Manning HouseBuilding · listed 1984James Nichols HouseBuilding · listed 1984Joseph Bancroft HouseBuilding · listed 1984Joseph Damon HouseBuilding · listed 1984Joseph Parker HouseBuilding · listed 1984Joseph Temple HouseBuilding · listed 1984Kemp BarnBuilding · listed 1984Kemp PlaceBuilding · listed 1984Luther Elliott HouseBuilding · listed 1984Mark Temple HouseBuilding · listed 1984Nathaniel Batchelder HouseBuilding · listed 1984Octagon HouseBuilding · listed 1984Old Hose HouseBuilding · listed 1984Parker HouseBuilding · listed 1984Parker HouseBuilding · listed 1984Parker, Capt. Nathaniel, Red HouseBuilding · listed 1984Pierce HouseBuilding · listed 1984Pierce Organ Pipe FactoryBuilding · listed 1984Pratt HouseBuilding · listed 1984Reading Municipal BuildingBuilding · listed 1984Reading Municipal Light and Power StationBuilding · listed 1984Rev. Peter Sanborn HouseBuilding · listed 1984Roberts HouseBuilding · listed 1984Rowhouses at 256-274 Haven StreetBuilding · listed 1984Samuel Bancroft HouseBuilding · listed 1984Samuel Parker HouseBuilding · listed 1984Stephen Hall HouseBuilding · listed 1984Stillman Parker HouseBuilding · listed 1984Stillman Pratt HouseBuilding · listed 1984Thomas Symonds HouseBuilding · listed 1984Timothy Hartshorn HouseBuilding · listed 1984Walnut Street SchoolBuilding · listed 1984Washington Damon HouseBuilding · listed 1984Wendell Bancroft HouseBuilding · listed 1984William Parker HouseBuilding · listed 1984Brande HouseBuilding · listed 1984Masonic BlockBuilding · listed 1984Ace Art CompanyBuilding · listed 1985Common Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985Harnden-Browne HouseBuilding · listed 1985Haverhill Street MilestoneObject · listed 1985Reading StandpipeStructure · listed 1985Smith Shoe ShopBuilding · listed 1985Woburn Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985Pearl Street SchoolBuilding · listed 1997

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

Timeline

Reading, 1639 to 1988

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

  1. 17th century
  2. 1639
    FoundingReading is established
  3. 1694BuiltParker Tavern is built
  4. 18th century
  5. 1783BuiltBatchelder House is built
  6. 1796Born hereJonathan Temple is born here
  7. 19th century
  8. 1812Post officeThe Reading post office opens
  9. 1849BuiltAlden Batchelder House is built
  10. 1872BuiltAsa M. Cook House is built
  11. 1886On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 20th century
  13. 1902Born hereEddie Peabody is born here
  14. 1981Born hereJames Cerretani is born here
  15. 1988Born hereJoe Whitney is born here
Help out

Start Reading’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Reading’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
The story

How Reading came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Reading.

Read it all →

Many of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's original settlers arrived from England in the 1630s through the ports of Lynn and Salem.

In 1639, some citizens of Lynn petitioned the government of the colony for a "place for an inland plantation". They were initially granted six square miles, followed by an additional four. The first settlement in this grant was at first called "Lynn Village" and was located on the south shore of the "Great Pond", now known as Lake Quannapowitt. On June 10, 1644, the settlement was incorporated as the town of Reading, taking its name from the town of Reading in England.

ChaptersSettlement19th century20th century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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.
Add from your album
On the map

Reading on the map, 1886 to 1987

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

Reading on the 1886 USGS mapReading on the 1893 USGS mapReading on the 1918 USGS mapReading on the 1944 USGS mapReading on the 1951 USGS mapReading on the 1966 USGS mapReading on the 1977 USGS mapReading 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 Reading.

Every building

Reading, building by building, 1885–1918

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.

Reading fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

People over time

Reading, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,0001800185019001950200025,518

Grew from 1,802 people in 1790 to 25,518 in 2020, more than tenfold.

19 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

22 famous people were born in Reading

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

See all →
James CerretaniUS tennis player · b. 1981
Joe WhitneyAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1988
Eddie PeabodyAmerican musician and entertainer · b. 1902
Jonathan TempleAmerican landowner · b. 1796
Aaron BancroftAmerican Missionary · b. 1755
C
Charles Austin TweedAmerican jurist and politician · b. 1813
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Reading’s post office has been open since 1812.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Reading Highlands
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Reading
Forest GlenLaurel HillOld

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.

North Reading3 historic placesB+Wakefield96 historic placesA+Woburn9 historic placesA−Lynnfield3 historic placesA−Wilmington10 historic placesA−Stoneham64 historic placesA

Questions about Reading’s history

What year was Reading founded?

In 1639, according to Wikidata. Reading’s post office opened in 1812, and the first U.S. census counted 1,802 people here in 1790.

How does Reading rank for history?

Reading is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #92 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 Reading?

85 listings: 80 buildings, among them the Parker Tavern (listed 1975, the first), 2 historic districts, the Common Historic District and the Woburn Street Historic District, with 30 contributing buildings, 2 structures, and 1 object. 128 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Reading?

27% of Reading’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1960.

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 (30), the National Register of Historic Places (85), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.