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AHistory
History · Sunderland

Sunderland dates to 1713, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #152 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

Most of Sunderland was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 142 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1790.

1713founded
1on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Sunderland began

When was Sunderland founded?

1713

Sunderland dates its founding to 1713 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 462 in 17902020 census: 3,663313 years

How historic is Sunderland?

A

More historic than 90% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1819.
History grade

What drives Sunderland’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sunderland is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #152 of 283 in Massachusetts. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sunderland’s overall grade.
Founding era1713, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19409.2% of homes (±6.7) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register1 listing, 142 historic buildings, 390 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 90%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 46%

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 Sunderland’s 390 sits above most of its state (89% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 142 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.

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 (±6.7 points). Two sources give 1713.

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 Sunderland’s past

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

A historic districtThe Sunderland Center Historic District takes in 142 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18867 editions of the USGS map, 1886 to 1990. Watch Sunderland change.Older than the countryEstablished in 1713, 63 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

1 listing protects 142 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
142
each building in a district counts
first listed
2002
Sunderland Center Historic District
Sunderland Center Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Colonial1
Georgian1
Early Republic1
Federal1
Early Classical Revival1
Mid-19th Century1
Sunderland Center Historic DistrictColonial

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

Help out

Start Sunderland’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sunderland’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
On the map

Sunderland on the map, 1886 to 1990

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

Sunderland on the 1886 USGS mapSunderland on the 1891 USGS mapSunderland on the 1935 USGS mapSunderland on the 1941 USGS mapSunderland on the 1955 USGS mapSunderland on the 1971 USGS mapSunderland on the 1990 USGS map1886Northampton 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 Sunderland.

The story so far

Sunderland, in brief

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

Sunderland is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States, part of the Pioneer Valley. The population was 3,663 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sunderland was first settled in 1713 and was officially incorporated in 1718. It was first known as Swampfield, a name which is now honored by Swampfield Road, but the name was changed to attract more residents. It was renamed in honor of Charles Spencer, the Earl of Sunderland. Historically, the land was largely used for farming. Before the incorporation of Leverett in 1774, that town was a part of Sunderland's territory.

Sunderland was established in 1713. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 3,684 in 2010, 3,663 in 2020.

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Sunderland in 1899

Passages that mention Sunderland, cut from the printed page as they were published.

And be it further enacted Sect. 3. That the said town of Leverett shall not be liable to maintain any person or persons who have been legally warned out of the town of Sunderland, but, by virtue of such warning, shall have the same privilege and power of removing such person or persons as the town …
1673. 1899. History of the town of Sunderland, Massachusetts1899 · page 50Read the page →
Read the text

And be it further enacted Sect. 3. That the said town of Leverett shall not be liable to maintain any person or persons who have been legally warned out of the town of Sunderland, but, by virtue of such warning, shall have the same privilege and power of removing such person or persons as the town of Sunderland might have, by law, in case he or they remained therein. And the said town of Leverett is fully empowered and enabled to proceed with such other persons now living

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
ing Hills people to be a precinct by themselves upon these conditions, that their bounds extend south within 20 rods of the mouth of the Brook called Slate Stone Brook, Running on east line to the east side of the bounds of the Town of Sunderland, they making no Demand of any money of the Town of S…
1673. 1899. History of the town of Sunderland, Massachusetts1899 · page 43Read the page →
Read the text

ing Hills people to be a precinct by themselves upon these conditions, that their bounds extend south within 20 rods of the mouth of the Brook called Slate Stone Brook, Running on east line to the east side of the bounds of the Town of Sunderland, they making no Demand of any money of the Town of Sunderland they suppose due by an Act of Court", and they never to lay "any tax on any land that belongs to the Town that is unimproved."

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.

Timeline

Sunderland, 1713 to 1899

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1713
    FoundingSunderland is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1819Post officeThe Sunderland post office opens
  5. 1825In the archiveFireboard ca1825 NorthSunderlandMassachusetts SPNEA
  6. 1834Born hereCharles B. Andrews is born here
  7. 1834Post officeThe North Sunderland post office opens
  8. 1846Post officeThe North Sunderland post office closes
  9. 1868Born hereMyron Hunt is born here
  10. 1886On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1899In the archiveHistory of the town of Sunderland, Mass., which originally embraced within its limits the…
By decade

Sunderland, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1820s to the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1820s1 item
Fireboard ca1825 NorthSunderlandMassachusetts SPNEAc. 1825Fireboard ca1825 NorthSunderlandMassachusetts SPNEADocument
1890s1 item
History of the town of Sunderland, Mass., which originally embraced within its limits the present fowns of Montague and…1899History of the town of Sunderland, Mass., which origi…Book
1900s–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
Today16 recent
Animals (20191018-NRCS-LSC-0597)2019Animals (20191018-NRCS-LSC-0597)Ag Day 2020 (20191018-NRCS-LSC-0954)2019Ag Day 2020 (20191018-NRCS-LSC-0954)Ag Day 2020 (20191018-NRCS-LSC-0553)2019Ag Day 2020 (20191018-NRCS-LSC-0553)Sunderland MA from Sugarloaf2013Sunderland MA from SugarloafSwampfield Historical Society2012Swampfield Historical SocietySunderland Massachusetts2012Sunderland MassachusettsConnecticut River Greenway State Park2012Connecticut River Greenway State ParkButtonball Sycamore - sycamore tree in Sunderland, Massachusetts, May 20122012Buttonball Sycamore - sycamore tree in Sunderland, Ma…Gunn Brook Falls2011Gunn Brook FallsConnecticut River2010Connecticut RiverView of Sunderland from Mt Sugarloaf, Deerfield MA2009View of Sunderland from Mt Sugarloaf, Deerfield MAUMass Clouds2009UMass CloudsSouthbound MA Route 472008Southbound MA Route 47Intersection in2007Intersection inSunderland View2005Sunderland ViewPioneer Valley South From Mt. Sugarloaf2003Pioneer Valley South From Mt. Sugarloaf
Every building

Sunderland, building by building, 1915

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 sheet.

Sunderland fire insurance map, 1915, sheet 11915Sheet 1 of 5
BrickWoodStone

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

People over time

Sunderland, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,00018001850190019502000Peak: 3,777

Between 462 and 3,777 people in every census since 1790.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Sunderland

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

See all →
Charles B. AndrewsAmerican politician, 49th Governor of Connectic… · b. 1834
Myron HuntAmerican architect · b. 1868
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Sunderland’s post office has been open since 1819. Another post office, North Sunderland, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Sunderland
1819–today
North Sunderland
1834–1846
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
North Sunderland
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sunderland
North SunderlandRiverside

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.

Deerfield1 historic placeA+South DeerfieldIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWhately1 historic placeA+Leverett6 historic placesA+Montague4 historic placesA+

Questions about Sunderland’s history

What year was Sunderland founded?

In 1713, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Sunderland’s post office opened in 1819, and the first U.S. census counted 462 people here in 1790.

How does Sunderland rank for history?

Sunderland is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #152 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 Sunderland?

One place: the Sunderland Center Historic District (listed 2002).

How old are the homes in Sunderland?

9% of Sunderland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1979.

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 (18), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.