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–Not graded
History · Blaine

Blaine dates to 1874, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1895 on and the census since 1880.

1874founded
0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Blaine began

When was Blaine founded?

1874

Blaine dates its founding to 1874 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 646 in 18802020 census: 667152 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1895.

What stands out about Blaine’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 Blaine are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,118 in 1950; 667 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1895 to 1925, drew every building in Blaine.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Blaine’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Blaine’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

Blaine, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,118

Peaked at 1,118 in 1950; 667 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Every building

Blaine, building by building, 1895–1925

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.

Blaine fire insurance map, 1895, sheet 11895Sheet 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.

The story so far

Blaine, in brief

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

Blaine is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 667 at the 2020 census. It was known as Alva prior to incorporation in 1874, when it was renamed in honor of James G. Blaine, then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. According to the Blaine 1974 Centennial Celebration Pamphlet, the town's namesake donated a schoolhouse bell in return for the town changing its name. The bell, cast in 1875 by William Blake & Co., now resides in the former Blaine Grange Hall and is under the care of the Central Aroostook Historical Society.

Blaine was established in 1874. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 726 to 667 (-8%).

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

Timeline

Blaine, 1874 to 1965

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1874
    FoundingBlaine is established
  3. 1895Post officeThe Robinson post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1917Born hereBenjamin Bubar Jr. is born here
  6. 1940On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1942Born hereNelson Pryor is born here
  8. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,118
  9. 1965Post officeThe Robinson post office closes
By decade

Blaine, decade by decade

Today1 recent
MEMap-location-of-Blaine2007MEMap-location-of-Blaine
On the map

Blaine on the map, 1940 to 1984

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

Blaine on the 1940 USGS mapBlaine on the 1951 USGS mapBlaine on the 1975 USGS mapBlaine on the 1984 USGS map1940Mars Hill 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 Blaine.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Blaine

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

See all →
B
Benjamin Bubar Jr.American politician · b. 1917
N
Nelson PryorAmerican politician · b. 1942
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Robinson, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Robinson
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Blaine
East BlaineSanbornTapley

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.

BridgewaterIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMars HillIts storyC+

Questions about Blaine’s history

What year was Blaine founded?

In 1874, according to Wikidata. Blaine’s post office opened in 1895, and the census of 1880 counted 646 people here.

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 (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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.