On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brownville is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brownville’s overall grade.
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 Brownville’s 20.3 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±10.2 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Brownville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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.
The area was a part of the Waldo Patent purchased by Moses Brown and Major Josiah Hill of Newburyport, Massachusetts, who initiated its settlement. In 1806, they built a dam and watermills on the Pleasant River. First known as township T5 R8 NWP, the community was organized in 1819 as Brownville Plantation. It was named for Francis Brown (nephew of Moses Brown), who was a mill owner and trader from Newbury, Massachusetts. In 1824, the town was incorporated as Brownville.
Passages that mention Brownville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Brownville, 1824-19241924 · page 20Read the page →
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June 29, 1819, Brownville was organized as a plantation, re¬ maining so until 1824 when it was incorporated as the town of Brownville, taking its name from the early Browns, Moses and his family.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Brownville, 1824-19241924 · page 56Read the page →
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THE C. P. R. AND BROWNVILLE JUNCTION In 1887 the Canadian Pacific Railroad asked and received per¬ mission to pass through the state. This brought a railroad to Brownville and as a result the town increased in population. Machine shops being located three miles from Brownville, a set¬ tlement was made there known as Brownville Junction. We now have two villages with schools, churches, &c.
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My grandfather, John Pleath, (mot Jonathan), was one of the first settlers in Brownville, and got his farm, between the rivers in North Brownville, from the proprietors free, for being one of the first settlers.
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.
Timeline
Brownville, 1870 to 1950
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Brownville is more historic than 88% 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.
What is on the National Register in Brownville?
Two places: the Brown House (listed 1985) and the Slate House (1995).
How old are the homes in Brownville?
36% of Brownville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.2 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1955.
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 (14), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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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