Castine dates to 1613, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them the BOWDOIN (schooner), a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 266 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers from 1851 on and old-book passages.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1794.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Castine’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Castine is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs put Castine near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Castine’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 Castine’s 1,990 sits above most of its state (100% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 271 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1613.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.9 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 Castine’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Its commanding position at the mouth of the Penobscot River estuary, a lucrative source of furs and timber, as well as a major transportation route into the interior, made the peninsula occupied by the present-day town of Castine of particular interest to European Colonialization in the 17th century.
Majabagaduce (as the Indian name would be corrupted) changed hands numerous times with shifting imperial politics. At one time or another, it was occupied by the French, Dutch and England's Plymouth Colony.
Castine was founded in the winter of 1613, when Acadian leader Claude de Saint-Étienne de la Tour established a small trading post to conduct business with the Tarrantine Indians (now called the Penobscots).
Passages that mention Castine, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Castine, Penobscot and Brooksville, Maine [microform]1875 · page 352Read the page →
Read the text
sentatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That that part of the town of Penobscot, in the county of Hancock, hereafter described, and the inhabitants thereon, be annexed to the town of Castine, in said county, viz: That part of said Penobscot lying between Penobscot and Castine rivers, and southerly and westerly of the following lines, viz: Beginning at the first narrows in Castine river, on the northerly line of Lot Number sixty,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Castine, Penobscot and Brooksville, Maine [microform]1875 · page 356Read the page →
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KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, That I, Joseph Perkins, of Castine, County of Hancock, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Merchant, in consideration of ninety dollars to me in hand paid by William Mason, of Castine, aforesaid, Clerk and Treasurer of the Town of Castine, aforesaid, in behalf of the Inhabitants of the school district in said town, commonly known and called by the name of the Peninsula School District, the receipt
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Castine, Penobscot, and Brooksville, Maine1875 · page 358Read the page →
Read the text
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, That I, John Perkins, of Castine, in the County of Hancock, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Gentleman, in consideration of ten dollars, paid by the Inhabitants of Castine, in said County, the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge, do hereby give, grant, sell and convey unto the said Lihabitants a certain piece or lot of land lying and being in said Town of Castine,' and bounded as fol-
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.
By decade
Castine, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1850s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
In 1613, according to Wikidata. Castine’s post office opened in 1794.
How does Castine rank for history?
Castine is among the most historic 1% 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 Castine?
7 listings: 3 buildings, 2 historic districts, the Castine Historic District and the Off-the-Neck Historic District, with 266 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 271 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Castine?
31% of Castine’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
★ Landmark
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