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AHistory
History · Waltham

Waltham has 108 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks

More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #85 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

Dated to 1634 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history), with 28% of its homes built before 1940 and 12 historic districts holding 280 contributing buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, the census since 1790, and every listing on the Register.

1634founded
108on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
62famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Waltham’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Waltham began

When was Waltham founded?

1634

Waltham dates its founding to 1634 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 882 in 17902020 census: 65,218392 years

How historic is Waltham?

A

More historic than 95% 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: 1817.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Waltham’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Waltham is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #85 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 Waltham’s overall grade.
Founding era1634, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194028.3% of homes (±2.2) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register108 listings, 280 historic buildings, 43.1 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 95%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 70%

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 Waltham’s 43.1 sits near the middle of its state (45% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 280 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% 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 (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1634.

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 Waltham’s past

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

A National Historic Landmark108 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks.Older than the countryEstablished in 1634, 142 years before the Declaration of Independence.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages13 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

108 historic places in Waltham

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 3 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier.

places listed
108
National Historic Landmarks
3
Vale, The
historic buildings protected
280
each building in a district counts
first listed
1970
Vale, The
Castle, The, built 1928US Post Office-Waltham Main, built 1935Phineas Lawrence House, built 1810Aaron Martin House, built 1886Aaron Martin Houses, built 1893American Waltham Watch Company Historic DistrictAmerican Watch Tool Company, built 1877Amos Stearns House, built 1790Baker, Charles, Property, built 1882Benjamin F. Clough House, built 1855Benjamin Wellington House, built 1810Beth Eden Baptist Church, built 1891Boston Manufacturing Company Housing, built 1880Brigham House, built 1893Building at 202-204 Charles Street, built 1905Buttrick, Francis, Library, built 1915Central Square Historic DistrictCharles Baker House, built 1871Charles Byam House, built 1883Charles Street Workers' Housing Historic DistrictChrist Episcopal Church, built 1898Company F State Armory, built 1908E. Sybbill Banks House, built 1892East Main Street Historic DistrictEastern Middlesex County Second District Court, built 1938Edwin C. Johnson House, built 1840Elijah Fiske House, built 1800Ephraim Hammond House, built 1775First Congregational Church, built 1871First Parish Church, built 1933Francis Buttrick House, built 1852Frank J. Tyler House, built 1894Frederick Flagg House, built 1930French, Daniel, School, built 1840Gilbert Colburn House, built 1870Gilbrae Inn, built 1831Grove Hill Cemetery, built 1703Hagar-Smith-Livermore-Sanderson House, built 1716Hager-Mead House, built 1795Harrington Block, built 1884Henry C. Hall House, built 1870Henry N. Fisher House, built 1877Henry Stewart House, built 1905Hobbs Brook Basin Gate House, built 1897John E. Olcott House, built 1837John M. Peck House, built 1840John Sanderson House, built 1826Jonathan Hammond House, built 1785Joseph Andrews House, built 1851Josiah Beard House, built 1844Lawton Place Historic DistrictLenoir Dow House, built 1887Leonard W. Stanley House, built 1855Linden Street Bridge, built 1894Lord's Castle, built 1886Lyman Street Historic DistrictMarshall Smith House, built 1840Moody Street Fire Station, built 1890Mount Feake Cemetery, built 1857Nahum Hardy House, built 1845Nathan Sanderson I House, built 1783Nathan Sanderson II House, built 1700Nelson F. Libby House, built 1891Newell D. Johnson House, built 1880Newton Street Bridge, built 1877North Lexington Street Historic DistrictO'Hara Waltham Dial Company, built 1897Oxford, The, built 1897Perez Smith House, built 1846Potter-O'Brian House, built 1800Prospect House, built 1839Rev. Thomas Hill House, built 1845Richard Holbrook Houses, built 1844Robbins, Royal E., School, built 1901Robert M. Stark House, built 1890Robert Murray House, built 1857Samuel Harrington House, built 1750Sanderson-Clark Farmhouse, built 1831St. Charles Borromeo Church, built 1915St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Complex, built 1858Stark Building, built 1891United States Watch CompanyWaltham Gas and Electric Company Generating Plant, built 1900Waltham Gas Light CompanyWaltham High School, built 1902Waltham Water Works Shop, built 1894Warren White House, built 1798Wellington-Castner House, built 1902Wetherbee House, built 1892Whitney-Farrington-Cook House, built 1790William Gibbs House, built 1840William Wellington House, built 1779Dunbar-Stearns House, built 1846Fuller-Bemis House, built 1776Gale-Banks House, built 1798Moody Street Historic DistrictMt. Prospect School for Boys, built 1923Nathan Warren House, built 1840Piety Corner Historic DistrictFernald, Walter E., State SchoolMetropolitan State HospitalWilson's Diner, built 1949Boston Manufacturing Company HousingFitch, Ezra, School, built 1932James Swasey House, built 1846Vale, The★Robert Treat Paine Jr. House, built 1866★Boston Manufacturing Company, built 1813★
BuildingsDistrictsSitesStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne22
Greek Revival18
Italianate18
Federal12
Colonial Revival11
Georgian Revival8
★ Landmark
Vale, TheAdamesque
★ Landmark
Robert Treat Paine Jr. HouseBuilt 1866
★ Landmark
Boston Manufacturing CompanyBuilt 1813
Castle, TheNorman Gothic · Built 1928
US Post Office-Waltham MainClassical · Built 1935
Phineas Lawrence HouseFederal · Built 1810
Aaron Martin HouseQueen Anne · Built 1886
Aaron Martin HousesQueen Anne · Built 1893
All 108 listings
American Waltham Watch Company Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989American Watch Tool CompanyBuilding · listed 1989Amos Stearns HouseBuilding · listed 1989Baker, Charles, PropertyBuilding · listed 1989Benjamin F. Clough HouseBuilding · listed 1989Benjamin Wellington HouseBuilding · listed 1989Beth Eden Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1989Boston Manufacturing Company HousingBuilding · listed 1989Brigham HouseBuilding · listed 1989Building at 202-204 Charles StreetBuilding · listed 1989Buttrick, Francis, LibraryBuilding · listed 1989Central Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989Charles Baker HouseBuilding · listed 1989Charles Byam HouseBuilding · listed 1989Charles Street Workers' Housing Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989Christ Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1989Company F State ArmoryBuilding · listed 1989E. Sybbill Banks HouseBuilding · listed 1989East Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989Eastern Middlesex County Second District CourtBuilding · listed 1989Edwin C. Johnson HouseBuilding · listed 1989Elijah Fiske HouseBuilding · listed 1989Ephraim Hammond HouseBuilding · listed 1989First Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1989First Parish ChurchBuilding · listed 1989Francis Buttrick HouseBuilding · listed 1989Frank J. Tyler HouseBuilding · listed 1989Frederick Flagg HouseBuilding · listed 1989French, Daniel, SchoolBuilding · listed 1989Gilbert Colburn HouseBuilding · listed 1989Gilbrae InnBuilding · listed 1989Grove Hill CemeterySite · listed 1989Hagar-Smith-Livermore-Sanderson HouseBuilding · listed 1989Hager-Mead HouseBuilding · listed 1989Harrington BlockBuilding · listed 1989Henry C. Hall HouseBuilding · listed 1989Henry N. Fisher HouseBuilding · listed 1989Henry Stewart HouseBuilding · listed 1989Hobbs Brook Basin Gate HouseStructure · listed 1989John E. Olcott HouseBuilding · listed 1989John M. Peck HouseBuilding · listed 1989John Sanderson HouseBuilding · listed 1989Jonathan Hammond HouseBuilding · listed 1989Joseph Andrews HouseBuilding · listed 1989Josiah Beard HouseBuilding · listed 1989Lawton Place Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989Lenoir Dow HouseBuilding · listed 1989Leonard W. Stanley HouseBuilding · listed 1989Linden Street BridgeStructure · listed 1989Lord's CastleBuilding · listed 1989Lyman Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989Marshall Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1989Moody Street Fire StationBuilding · listed 1989Mount Feake CemeterySite · listed 1989Nahum Hardy HouseBuilding · listed 1989Nathan Sanderson I HouseBuilding · listed 1989Nathan Sanderson II HouseBuilding · listed 1989Nelson F. Libby HouseBuilding · listed 1989Newell D. Johnson HouseBuilding · listed 1989Newton Street BridgeStructure · listed 1989North Lexington Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989O'Hara Waltham Dial CompanyBuilding · listed 1989Oxford, TheBuilding · listed 1989Perez Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1989Potter-O'Brian HouseBuilding · listed 1989Prospect HouseBuilding · listed 1989Rev. Thomas Hill HouseBuilding · listed 1989Richard Holbrook HousesBuilding · listed 1989Robbins, Royal E., SchoolBuilding · listed 1989Robert M. Stark HouseBuilding · listed 1989Robert Murray HouseBuilding · listed 1989Samuel Harrington HouseBuilding · listed 1989Sanderson-Clark FarmhouseBuilding · listed 1989St. Charles Borromeo ChurchBuilding · listed 1989St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church ComplexBuilding · listed 1989Stark BuildingBuilding · listed 1989United States Watch CompanyBuilding · listed 1989Waltham Gas and Electric Company Generating PlantBuilding · listed 1989Waltham Gas Light CompanyBuilding · listed 1989Waltham High SchoolBuilding · listed 1989Waltham Water Works ShopBuilding · listed 1989Warren White HouseBuilding · listed 1989Wellington-Castner HouseBuilding · listed 1989Wetherbee HouseBuilding · listed 1989Whitney-Farrington-Cook HouseBuilding · listed 1989William Gibbs HouseBuilding · listed 1989William Wellington HouseBuilding · listed 1989Dunbar-Stearns HouseBuilding · listed 1990Fuller-Bemis HouseBuilding · listed 1990Gale-Banks HouseBuilding · listed 1990Moody Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990Mt. Prospect School for BoysBuilding · listed 1990Nathan Warren HouseBuilding · listed 1990Piety Corner Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990Fernald, Walter E., State SchoolDistrict · listed 1994Metropolitan State HospitalDistrict · listed 1994Wilson's DinerBuilding · listed 1999Boston Manufacturing Company HousingBuilding · listed 1989Fitch, Ezra, SchoolBuilding · listed 1989James Swasey HouseBuilding · listed 1989

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

Timeline

Waltham, 1634 to 1989

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

  1. 17th century
  2. 1634
    FoundingWaltham is established
  3. 18th century
  4. 1793In the archive1793 Eden vale in Waltham J. Edes del S. Hill sculp Massachusetts Magazine LC
  5. 19th century
  6. 1813BuiltBoston Manufacturing Company is built
  7. 1813In the archiveBoston Manufacturing Company
  8. 1816Born hereNathaniel P. Banks is born here
  9. 1817Post officeThe Waltham post office opens
  10. 1847Born hereMary Watson Whitney is born here
  11. 1866BuiltRobert Treat Paine Jr. House is built
  12. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 20th century
  14. 1913Post officeThe Waltham post office closes
  15. 1928BuiltCastle, The is built
  16. 1933Born hereCaroll Spinney is born here
  17. 1935BuiltUS Post Office-Waltham Main is built
  18. 1936Born hereKenneth G. Wilson is born here
  19. 1970LandmarkVale, The named a National Historic Landmark
  20. 1977LandmarkBoston Manufacturing Company named a National Historic Landmark
  21. 1989LandmarkRobert Treat Paine Jr. House named a National Historic Landmark
Help out

Start Waltham’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Waltham’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewEden vale: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Waltham came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Waltham.

Read it all →

Waltham was first settled by the English in 1634 as part of Watertown, and was officially incorporated as a separate town in 1738, but the area was inhabited for thousands of years prior to English colonization. At the time of European arrival, Waltham was in a border zone between the territories of the Pawtucket confederation and the Massachusett, with nearby native settlements at Nonantum and Pequosset (Watertown). Early settlers recorded the presence of an "Indian Stockade" near today's Cambridge Reservoir, and an "Indian Hollow" in today's Calvary Cemetery. A native trail through Waltham, the "Old Connecticut Path" saw continued use after colonization and became the basis for present day Route 20.

ChaptersTimelinePronunciation

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Waltham in 1855

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

(IV.) MATTHEW BRIDGE, of Lex., afterwards of Waltham, m., Mar. 22. 1719-20, ABIGAIL BOWMAN. [Bowman, 19.] He d. in Waltham, Mar. 25, 1761, and she d. June 15, 1785, aged 85.
Family memorials. Genealogies of the families and descendants of the early settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, including Waltham and Weston1855 · page 94Read the page →
Read the text

(IV.) MATTHEW BRIDGE, of Lex., afterwards of Waltham, m., Mar. 22. 1719-20, ABIGAIL BOWMAN. [Bowman, 19.] He d. in Waltham, Mar. 25, 1761, and she d. June 15, 1785, aged 85.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
records say Elizabeth, wife of Elisha Child, d. Feb. 7, 1756.] 10. Mary, b. June 10, 1722; m. (pub. Mar. 11), 1743, Joseph Whitney, of Weston. [Whitney, 130.] (IV.) DANIEL CHILD, of Waltham; m., Jan. 13, 1729, MARY BRIGHT, b. 1710. natural dr. of Nathaniel. [74.] He was Selectman of Waltham 1757 an…
Family memorials. Genealogies of the families and descendants of the early settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, including Waltham and Weston1855 · page 155Read the page →
Read the text

records say Elizabeth, wife of Elisha Child, d. Feb. 7, 1756.] 10. Mary, b. June 10, 1722; m. (pub. Mar. 11), 1743, Joseph Whitney, of Weston. [Whitney, 130.] (IV.) DANIEL CHILD, of Waltham; m., Jan. 13, 1729, MARY BRIGHT, b. 1710. natural dr. of Nathaniel. [74.] He was Selectman of Waltham 1757 and '58. I. Anna, b. July 6, 1730. 2. Daniel, b. Ap. 26, 1732; d. May, 1733.

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

Waltham, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1790s to the 1810s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1790s–1810s3 items
1793 Eden vale in Waltham J. Edes del S. Hill sculp Massachusetts Magazine LC17931793 Eden vale in Waltham J. Edes del S. Hill sculp M…DocumentEden vale1793Eden valeBoston Manufacturing Companyc. 1813Boston Manufacturing CompanyDocument
On the map

Waltham on the map, 1893 to 1985

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

Waltham on the 1893 USGS mapWaltham on the 1903 USGS mapWaltham on the 1946 USGS mapWaltham on the 1956 USGS mapWaltham on the 1971 USGS mapWaltham on the 1985 USGS map1893Boston 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 Waltham.

Every building

Waltham, building by building, 1892–1918

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.

Waltham fire insurance map, 1892, sheet 21892Sheet 2 of 19
Edition
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.

Eden vale
Retake this viewEden vale, 1793

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Waltham, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,00065,00070,0001800185019001950200065,218

Grew from 882 people in 1790 to 65,218 in 2020, more than tenfold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

62 famous people were born in Waltham

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

See all →
Kenneth G. WilsonNobel prize winning US physicist · b. 1936
Caroll SpinneyAmerican puppeteer · b. 1933
Mary Watson WhitneyAmerican astronomer · b. 1847
Nathaniel P. BanksAmerican politician of Massachusetts and genera… · b. 1816
Deena KastorAmerican long distance runner and marathoner · b. 1973
John LynchAmerican politician · b. 1952
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Waltham had its own post office from 1817 to 1913.

Waltham
1817–1913
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Beaver Brook StationCamp CabotCamp TedCedar Hill CampCedarwoodClematis Brook StationEastview ParkKingstonLakeviewPiety CornerProspectvilleRiverviewWaltham Highlands
Gone or out of use
Chemistry Stationlocale
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Waltham
CalvaryGrove HillMount Feake

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.

Weston13 historic placesA+Belmont6 historic placesANewton177 historic placesA+Lincoln9 historic placesAWatertown12 historic placesALexington18 historic placesA

Questions about Waltham’s history

What year was Waltham founded?

In 1634, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Waltham’s post office opened in 1817, and the first U.S. census counted 882 people here in 1790.

How does Waltham rank for history?

Waltham is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #85 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 Waltham?

108 listings, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks: 91 buildings, among them the Vale, The (a National Historic Landmark since 1970), 12 historic districts with 155 contributing buildings, 2 sites, and 3 structures. 280 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Waltham?

28% of Waltham’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1961.

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 (2), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (22), the National Register of Historic Places (108), 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.