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BHistory
History · Bradley

Bradley dates to 1834, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 56% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1840.

1834founded
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
7old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Bradley began, and where its name came from

When was Bradley founded?

1834

Bradley dates its founding to 1834 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 395 in 18402020 census: 1,532192 years

How did Bradley get its name?

Bradley was named for Bradley Blackman, an early settler.

How historic is Bradley?

B

More historic than 56% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1826. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Bradley’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bradley is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bradley’s overall grade.
Founding era1834, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194018.5% of homes (±7.7) · typical ME town 19.1% · U.S. 8.4%B+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical ME town 15.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 56%
NewerOlder

Maine towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Maine town has 15.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bradley’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1834.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.7 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 Bradley’s past

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

On the map since 19024 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1988. Watch Bradley change.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Bradley.Mystery photos7 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.Deep rootsEstablished in 1834: 192 years of Bradley.
★ What stands out · On the map

Bradley on the map, 1902 to 1988

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

Bradley on the 1902 USGS mapBradley on the 1944 USGS mapBradley on the 1955 USGS mapBradley on the 1988 USGS map1902Orono 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 Bradley.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Bradley’s post office has been open since 1880. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Great Works
1826–1880
Bradley
1880–today
Great Works
1890–1962
18201920today
Gone or out of use
John Baker Camplocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Bradley
EvergreenKnapp / Carter

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

Help out

Start Bradley’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo7 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Bradley came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bradley.

Read it all →

Bradley was incorporated as a town in 1834, with lumbering and sawmilling as the principal industries. It was named for Bradley Blackman, an early settler. By the 1850s the town had 14 single-saw mills, three gang-saw (multiple-saw) mills, four clapboard mills, four lath mills, and three shingle mills. The only village was at Greatworks. The Maine Forest & Logging Museum, located at Leonard's Mills, was established in 1960 to preserve the logging history of Maine.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bradley, 1826 to 1962

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1826Post officeThe Great Works post office opens
  3. 1834
    FoundingBradley is established
  4. 1880Post officeThe Great Works post office closes
  5. 1880Post officeThe Bradley post office opens
  6. 1890Post officeThe Great Works post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1962Post officeThe Great Works post office closes
By decade

Bradley, decade by decade

Date unknown7 to date
Annual report of the municipal officers of the town ofDate?Annual report of the municipal officers of the town ofBookAnnual report of the municipal officers of the town ofDate?Annual report of the municipal officers of the town ofBookAnnual report of the municipal officers of the town ofDate?Annual report of the municipal officers of the town ofBookAnnual report of the municipal officers of the town ofDate?Annual report of the municipal officers of the town ofBookAnnual report of the municipal officers of the town ofDate?Annual report of the municipal officers of the town ofBookAnnual report of the municipal officers of the town ofDate?Annual report of the municipal officers of the town ofBookAnnual report of the municipal officers of the town ofDate?Annual report of the municipal officers of the town ofBook
People over time

Bradley, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60018501900195020001,532

Grew from 395 people in 1840 to 1,532 in 2020, 3 times over.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Orono11 historic placesAOld Town4 historic placesAMilford2 historic placesBEddington1 historic placeC+AmherstIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townClifton2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Bradley’s history

What year was Bradley founded?

In 1834, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bradley’s post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1840 counted 395 people here.

How does Bradley rank for history?

Bradley is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns. 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.

How old are the homes in Bradley?

19% of Bradley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.7 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1984.

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 (7), Wikipedia, 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.