Warren dates to 1664, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #161 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Warren Public Library, the Warren Town Hall and the Crossman Bridge. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1807.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Warren’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Warren is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #161 of 283 in Massachusetts. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Warren’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 Warren’s 6.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1664.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.9 points).
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 Warren’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Warren was first settled in 1664 and was officially incorporated on January 16, 1741, as the town of Western.
Originally a part of Quaboag Plantation, the town now known as Warren was part of Brookfield for 68 years until it was renamed Western. Warren includes land petitioned from both the Quaboag Plantation and the "Kingsfield", which included parts of Palmer and Brimfield.
Passages that mention Warren, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Warren, Massachusetts1874 · page 15Read the page →
Read the text
the surveys for the Western Railroad he loaded his gun and declared he would shoot the first man that invaded his premises. There have also been scythe shops at Warren and at the Lower Village, but now there are none in town. The manufacture of cotton cloth was began in 1815, in the building now occupied by L. J.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Warren, Massachusetts1874 · page 18Read the page →
Read the text
During the past season (1874) the town, in conjunction with Knowles' Steam Pump Works, have laid water mains in Warren ; also at West Warren, in concert with the cotton mills. The department at present consists of a well organized company of fifty men, engines Nos. 1 and 2, together with a hose company who man the hydrants. Annexed will be found a list of fires which
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
Warren, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
In 1664, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Warren’s post office opened in 1807, and the first U.S. census counted 899 people here in 1790.
How does Warren rank for history?
Warren is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #161 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 Warren?
Three places: the Warren Public Library (listed 2000), the Warren Town Hall (2001) and the Crossman Bridge (2010).
How old are the homes in Warren?
31% of Warren’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.9 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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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