Uxbridge dates to 1662, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #59 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
51 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 56 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1803.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Uxbridge’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Uxbridge is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #59 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 Uxbridge’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 Uxbridge’s 87.1 sits near the middle of its state (61% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 126 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1662.
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 (±6.5 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 Uxbridge’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
“Great John” aka Wutaushauk, Annawassanauke and Quashaamitt sold Squimshepauk plantation to settlers in September 1663, "for 24 pound Ster". Mendon began in 1667, burned in King Phillips War, and was resettled in 1680.
Western Mendon became Uxbridge in 1727, and Farnum House held the first town meeting. John Adams' uncle, Nathan Webb, was the first local minister in the Great Awakening. The American Taft family was prominent locally.
Colonial Uxbridge included Northbridge until 1772. In 1770, Colonel, James Fletcher, built his house, in Uxbridge and his forge later became Whitin Machine.
Passages that mention Uxbridge, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Worcester County, Massachusetts1889 · page 428Read the page →
Read the text
Several of these transfers took place, creating no little confusion as to town lines. These families were in the "North End " of Uxbridge, and desired their rights as to the new meeting-house in Uxbridge, but they did not desire to be set off as another town or district, and were allowed to remain on these above-stated conditions. Uxbridge let go her hold on the " North End " very reluctantly, refusing Nov.,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Worcester County, Massachusetts1889 · page 165Read the page →
Read the text
A few years previous the Monthly Meeting had authorized the erection of a meeting-house in Uxbridge, and in 17G(! one was erected iu what Wius then the north part of Uxbridge, and which is now Northbridge, that town having been set off from Uxbridge in 1772. This house stood very near the location of the present meeting-house, — about half a mile south from Riverdale in Northbridge.
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
Uxbridge, 1662 to 2000
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
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.
1888Sheet 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 viewUxbridge Center, 1839, 1839
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Uxbridge’s page.
In 1662, according to Wikidata. Uxbridge’s post office opened in 1803, and the first U.S. census counted 1,308 people here in 1790.
How does Uxbridge rank for history?
Uxbridge is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #59 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 Uxbridge?
51 listings: 47 buildings and 4 historic districts with 56 contributing buildings. 126 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Uxbridge?
31% of Uxbridge’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 (6), Wikidata (12), the National Register of Historic Places (51), 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.
1880
2012
2009
2007
