Buxton dates to 1772, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #49 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 11 buildings. Below: 20 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1797.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Buxton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Buxton is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #49 of 143 in Maine. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Buxton’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 Buxton’s 17.6 sits near the middle of its state (54% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 15 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1772.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Buxton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The township was granted by the Massachusetts General Court as Narragansett Number 1 in 1728. It was assigned to Philemon Dane of Ipswich, Massachusetts and 119 other veterans (or their heirs) who had fought in King Philip's War against the Narragansett people in 1675. Settlement was attempted in the early 1740s but abandoned because of the ongoing French and Indian Wars.
Passages that mention Buxton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
One hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Buxton, Maine1926Read the page →
Read the text
The river, above the bridge, flows between two roads; one in the town of Buxton, the other in the town of Hollis. Quietly, serenely, and smoothly, with the trees upon the banks mirrored in its clear depths, flows the Saco until it reaches the dam. There it falls gently a few feet, froths and foams a little, and passes under the bridge. On both sides of the river rise high walls formed of rocks, which at some places are barren, bleak, and bare; at others covered with small trees which have their roots deep in the crevices
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
One hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Buxton, Maine1926Read the page →
Read the text
first postoffice was at the Lower Corner, and the first mail was carried on horseback; then by the two-wheeled chaise, the old stage coach from Saco with a pair of horses, and now by automo¬ biles. At one time there were seven post offices: Buxton,* West Buxton,* Buxton Center, Groveville, Bar Mills,* Chicopee, and South Buxton. Now (1924) there are but three.* The sick of this town were attended by out-of-town doctors for several years. One of these was Dr. Nathaniel W. Bowman of
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
Buxton, 1772 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1772, according to Wikidata. Buxton’s post office opened in 1797, and the first U.S. census counted 1,508 people here in 1790.
How does Buxton rank for history?
Buxton is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #49 of 143 in Maine. 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 Buxton?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Royal Brewster House (listed 1975, the first), and 1 historic district, the Salmon Falls (East) Historic District, with 11 contributing buildings. 15 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Buxton?
19% of Buxton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (23), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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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