Rutland dates to 1666, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #267 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Most of Rutland was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Below: 23 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1803.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rutland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rutland is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #267 of 283 in Massachusetts. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rutland’s 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 Rutland’s 1.1 sits below most of its state (9% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.8 points). Two sources give 1666.
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 Rutland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was first settled by Europeans in 1666 and was originally called "Naquag," a name which came from Nipmuc. Officially incorporated in 1713, the Town of Rutland was made up of Barre, Hubbardston, Oakham, Princeton, and the northern half of Paxton. In Northern Rutland there are prison camps used during the Revolutionary War used for captured Hessian mercenaries hired by the British. The town's most famous citizen is Rufus Putnam, who was George Washington's chief engineer in the American Revolutionary War. He held various town offices in Rutland and served as Representative to the General Court. Later, he led a group of Revolutionary War veterans west to settle in the Northwest Territory and Putnam became known as the "Father of Ohio." The Rufus Putnam House still stands, and is now a B&B. It is depicted on the town seal.
June, 1721, Voted, " Tliat, that Lot with all its Rights and after Divisions, which was formerly Designed for the Ministry Lot in Rutland, next adjoining to the Meeting House plot, No, 61, be now appropriated to and for the first Minister that shall be Ordained at Rutland, and that shall settle at Rutland, and continue there in the Ministry, for three
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Worcester County, Massachusetts1889 · page 572Read the page →
Read the text
which .settled in Leicester, and he was one of the grantees named in the deed of the proprietors of Leicester, and was assigned to Lot No. 47. On the other hand, in the Rutland portion of the new town, Sefh Metcalf made an early settlement, as did Phineas Moore, who lived on the Rutland road, a mile or so north of the present meeting-house, and, by the way, it is proper to s.ay that the line dividing the towns of
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
Rutland, decade by decade
5 decades in the archive, from the 1830s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
In 1666, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Rutland’s post office opened in 1803, and the first U.S. census counted 1,072 people here in 1790.
How does Rutland rank for history?
Rutland is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #267 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 Rutland?
One place: the Gen. Rufus Putnam House (listed 1972).
How old are the homes in Rutland?
9% of Rutland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.8 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 (14), the Library of Congress (9), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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★ Landmark