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History · Aurora

Aurora dates to 1827, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Brick School House. Below: maps from 1932 on and the census since 1840.

1827founded
1on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Aurora began

When was Aurora founded?

1827

Aurora dates its founding to 1827 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 149 in 18402020 census: 93199 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1833.

What stands out about Aurora’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 Aurora are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 277 in 1860; 93 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1827: 199 years of Aurora.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Aurora’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Aurora’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
People over time

Aurora, census by census

01002003001850190019502000Peak: 277

Peaked at 277 in 1860; 93 people lived here in 2020.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

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

Timeline

Aurora, 1827 to 1932

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1827
    FoundingAurora is established
  3. 1833Post officeThe Aurora post office opens
  4. 1860CensusPopulation peaks at 277
  5. 20th century
  6. 1902Born hereWilliam S. Silsby is born here
  7. 1932On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story so far

Aurora, in brief

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

Aurora is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The town was named for the goddess of dawn. The population was 93 at the 2020 census. The Brick School House, a historic schoolhouse, is located in Aurora. It was built in 1827 and is the oldest standing public brick structure in Hancock County. The Airline Community School (a pre-school through eighth grade school) serves the Aurora Community, as well as the communities of Great Pond, Osborn, and Amherst.

Aurora was established in 1827. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 114 to 93 (-18%).

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

By decade

Aurora, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Middle Branch Union River as seen from the Whaleback image 32018Middle Branch Union River as seen from the Whaleback …Middle Branch Union River as seen from the Whaleback image 22018Middle Branch Union River as seen from the Whaleback …Middle Branch Union River as seen from the Whaleback image 12018Middle Branch Union River as seen from the Whaleback …The Whalesback2006The Whalesback
On the map

Aurora on the map, 1932 to 1988

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

Aurora on the 1932 USGS mapAurora on the 1957 USGS mapAurora on the 1988 USGS map1932Great Pond 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 Aurora.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Aurora

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Brick School House
Brick School House
Buildings
Brick School HouseBuilding

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

OsbornIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAmherstIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGreat Pond1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Aurora’s history

What year was Aurora founded?

In 1827, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Aurora’s post office opened in 1833, and the census of 1840 counted 149 people here.

What is on the National Register in Aurora?

One place: the Brick School House (listed 1980).

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 (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.