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A+History
History · Templeton

Templeton dates to 1751, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 98% of U.S. towns · #44 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 162 buildings between them. Below: 14 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1790.

1751founded
4on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
14old photos & papers
11famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Templeton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Templeton began

When was Templeton founded?

1751

Templeton dates its founding to 1751 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 950 in 17902020 census: 8,149275 years

How historic is Templeton?

A+

More historic than 98% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.
History grade

What drives Templeton’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Templeton is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #44 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Templeton’s overall grade.
Founding era1751, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194029.0% of homes (±6.6) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register4 listings, 168 historic buildings, 204 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 98%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 85%

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 Templeton’s 204 sits above most of its state (76% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 168 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1751.
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 (±6.6 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 Templeton’s past

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

On the map since 18877 editions of the USGS map, 1887 to 1988. Watch Templeton change.A historic districtThe Baldwinville Village Historic District takes in 87 historic buildings.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Templeton, and 7 old place names are still on the map.A town in old photos14 old photos, postcards and papers, 1880–1939.
★ What stands out · On the map

Templeton on the map, 1887 to 1988

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

Templeton on the 1887 USGS mapTempleton on the 1890 USGS mapTempleton on the 1935 USGS mapTempleton on the 1946 USGS mapTempleton on the 1954 USGS mapTempleton on the 1970 USGS mapTempleton on the 1988 USGS map1887Winchendon 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 Templeton.

On the National Register

4 listings protect 168 historic buildings

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

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
168
each building in a district counts
first listed
1983
Templeton Common Historic District
Templeton Common Historic DistrictBaldwinville Village Historic DistrictTempleton Farm ColonyWhitney Tavern
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Federal3
Greek Revival3
Georgian1
Vernacular1
Victorian1
Stick Style1
Templeton Common Historic DistrictGeorgian
Baldwinville Village Historic DistrictVernacular
Templeton Farm ColonyFederal
Whitney TavernGreek Revival

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Templeton’s post office has been open since 1802. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Templeton
1802–today
Baldwinsville
1830–1947
Otter River
1857–1942
East Templeton
1866–today
Baldwinville
1947–today
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BaldwinvilleBrooks VillageEast TempletonOtter RiverPartidgevillePartridgevilleTempleton Station
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Templeton
Baptist CommonGreenlawnNorcross HillPine Grove

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

The story so far

Templeton, in brief

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

Templeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,149 at the 2020 census. The town comprises four main villages: Templeton Center, East Templeton, Baldwinville, and Otter River.

Templeton was established in 1751. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 8,013 in 2010, 8,149 in 2020.

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

Timeline

Templeton, 1751 to 1947

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1751
    FoundingTempleton is established
  3. 1788Born hereSarah Goodridge is born here
  4. 1798Born hereElizabeth Goodridge is born here
  5. 19th century
  6. 1800Born hereCharles Knowlton is born here
  7. 1802Post officeThe Templeton post office opens
  8. 1812Born hereStephen Pearl Andrews is born here
  9. 1830Post officeThe Baldwinsville post office opens
  10. 1857Post officeThe Otter River post office opens
  11. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Massachusetts - Worcester County - Templeton - ED…
  12. 1887On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 20th century
  14. 1901In the archivePostcard of streetcar at The Elms
  15. 1911In the archiveStreetcar to Gardner in Templeton 1911 postcard
  16. 1938In the archiveJohn Mantyharju, camp (Stony Bridge Pond), Templeton, Mass., Jun. 24, 1938 Not acquired, …
  17. 1942Post officeThe Otter River post office closes
  18. 1947Post officeThe Baldwinsville post office closes
By decade

Templeton, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1930s10 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Massachusetts - Worcester County - Templeton - ED 14-275, ED 14-276, ED 14-277,…18801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Massachusetts…1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Massachusetts (MA) - Worcester County - Templeton - ED 14-380 to 38718801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Massachusetts…Postcard of streetcar at The Elms1901–1907Postcard of streetcar at The ElmsPostcardStreetcar to Gardner in Templeton 1911 postcardc. 1911Streetcar to Gardner in Templeton 1911 postcardPostcardJohn Mantyharju, camp (Stony Bridge Pond), Templeton, Mass., Jun. 24, 1938 Not acquired, outside surveyed area, no parc…1938John Mantyharju, camp (Stony Bridge Pond), Templeton,…Land Utilization Town of Templeton - DPLA - eed0a21d1c99864daddba918a3ea66581939Land Utilization Town of Templeton - DPLA - eed0a21d1…Roads and Buildings Town of Templeton - DPLA - 79d6ee3b5e9bfae4e6bf50a746b692511939Roads and Buildings Town of Templeton - DPLA - 79d6ee…Roads and Waterways Town of Templeton - DPLA - 5dc171fdd6729c2cef992183fed95ac01939Roads and Waterways Town of Templeton - DPLA - 5dc171…Soil Classification Town of Templeton - DPLA - cfb192ac5b411cde38ef666c675f389d1939Soil Classification Town of Templeton - DPLA - cfb192…Topography Town of Templeton - DPLA - 93d98a1b9fc0d530ffa32b9a9c2224af1939Topography Town of Templeton - DPLA - 93d98a1b9fc0d53…
1940s–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 unknown4 to date
First Parish Congregational ChurchDate?First Parish Congregational ChurchColonel Artemus Lee HouseDate?Colonel Artemus Lee HouseJohn W. Stile HouseDate?John W. Stile HouseHouse of 1763Date?House of 1763
Today6 recent
Templeton Sewer, 19762024Templeton Sewer, 1976Bell from Meneely's Foundry2024Bell from Meneely's FoundryWhite Box 01-0032020White Box 01-003Ware River Rail Trail2019Ware River Rail TrailStone Bridge inscription2019Stone Bridge inscriptionBrooks Village2008Brooks Village
Every building

Templeton, building by building, 1922

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.

Templeton fire insurance map, 1922, sheet 11922Sheet 1 of 10
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.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Massachusetts - Worcester County - Templeton - ED 14-275, ED 14-276, ED 14-277,…
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Massachusetts - Worcester County - Templeton - ED 14-275, ED 14-276, ED 14-277,…, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Templeton, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,000180018501900195020008,149

Grew from 950 people in 1790 to 8,149 in 2020, 8 times over.

19 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

11 famous people were born in Templeton

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

See all →
Sarah GoodridgeAmerican artist · b. 1788
Stephen Pearl AndrewsAmerican anarchist · b. 1812
Charles KnowltonAmerican physician, atheist, writer and birth c… · b. 1800
Elizabeth GoodridgeAmerican artist · b. 1798
George A. FullerAmerican architect · b. 1851
C
Charlotte Frances WilderAmerican religious writer · b. 1839
Help out

Finish Templeton’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo4 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Phillipston2 historic placesAGardner13 historic placesA+Winchendon3 historic placesARoyalston1 historic placeA

Questions about Templeton’s history

What year was Templeton founded?

In 1751, according to Wikidata. Templeton’s post office opened in 1802, and the first U.S. census counted 950 people here in 1790.

How does Templeton rank for history?

Templeton is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #44 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 Templeton?

4 listings: 1 building and 3 historic districts, the Templeton Common Historic District, the Baldwinville Village Historic District and the Templeton Farm Colony, with 162 contributing buildings. 168 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Templeton?

29% of Templeton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1972.

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 (16), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.