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History · Wendell

Wendell’s post office opened in 1825, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 19 buildings. Below: maps from 1887 on and the census since 1790.

1825first post office
1on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Wendell began, and where its name came from

When was Wendell founded?

1825

The Wendell post office opened in 1825, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, Locks Village (1828), Irvingsville (1836) and Wendell Centre (1841), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 519 in 17902020 census: 924201 years

How did Wendell get its name?

Wendell was named after Judge Oliver Wendell of Boston.

Founding year: the first Wendell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Wendell’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Wendell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Wendell, and 3 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 18877 editions of the USGS map, 1887 to 1990. Watch Wendell change.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1850 and 1960, then grew 3-fold.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wendell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wendell’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
Places that used to be

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

Wendell’s post office has been open since 1825. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Wendell
1825–today
Locks Village
1828–1925
Irvingsville
1836–1848
Wendell Centre
1841–1841
Wendell Depot
1848–today
Farley
1891–1955
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
South WendellStonevilleWendell Depot
Gone or out of use
Farley Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Wendell
South

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

On the map

Wendell on the map, 1887 to 1990

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

Wendell on the 1887 USGS mapWendell on the 1894 USGS mapWendell on the 1936 USGS mapWendell on the 1948 USGS mapWendell on the 1961 USGS mapWendell on the 1977 USGS mapWendell on the 1990 USGS map1887Warwick 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 Wendell.

The story

How Wendell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wendell.

Read it all →

Wendell was first settled in 1754 and was officially incorporated in 1781. It was named after Judge Oliver Wendell of Boston. The town center has been listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

On July 11, 2006, a strong F2 tornado moved through town, starting near Wickett Pond, traveling about 2.9 miles (4.7 km), and ending about a half mile east of New Salem Road. The path varied in width from 100 to 300 yards (91 to 274 m). The tornado knocked down trees, including an old maple tree, whose falling damaged gravestones in a historic cemetery in Wendell Center. While trees were downed and some structures damaged, no one was injured.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wendell, 1817 to 2000

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1817Born hereAnne Toppan Wilbur Wood is born here
  3. 1825Post officeThe Wendell post office opens
  4. 1828Post officeThe Locks Village post office opens
  5. 1829Born hereJames C. Greenough is born here
  6. 1836Post officeThe Irvingsville post office opens
  7. 1848Post officeThe Irvingsville post office closes
  8. 1887On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 20th century
  10. 1925Post officeThe Locks Village post office closes
  11. 21st century
  12. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 986
By decade

Wendell, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Sundial at Wendell Free Library 22023Sundial at Wendell Free Library 2Sundial at Wendell Free Library 12023Sundial at Wendell Free Library 1Flag of2015Flag ofWendell, Massachusetts2012Wendell, MassachusettsWendell, Massachusetts2012Wendell, MassachusettsBandstand - Wendell, Massachusetts - DSC008012012Bandstand - Wendell, Massachusetts - DSC00801
On the National Register

1 listing protects 19 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
19
each building in a district counts
first listed
1992
Wendell Town Common Historic District
Wendell Town Common Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Federal1
Greek Revival1
Colonial Revival1
Wendell Town Common Historic DistrictFederal

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

People over time

Wendell, census by census

02004006008001,00018001850190019502000920 in 1850Low: 292

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1850 and 1960, then grew 3-fold.

20 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Wendell

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

See all →
James C. GreenoughAmerican educator and college president · b. 1829
A
Anne Toppan Wilbur WoodAmerican translator · b. 1817
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

ErvingIts storyB+Montague4 historic placesA+Orange2 historic placesANew Salem2 historic placesA+

Questions about Wendell’s history

What year was Wendell founded?

The Wendell post office opened in 1825, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Wendell?

One place: the Wendell Town Common Historic District (listed 1992).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.