Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1821.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Charleston’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Charleston is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Charleston’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 Charleston’s 9.0 sits near the middle of its state (38% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.7 points). Two sources give 1795.
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 Charleston’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Charleston was first settled as early as 1795 by Charles Vaughan. The land was granted on July 14, 1802, by the Massachusetts General Court to John Lowell. Known as T2 R5 NWP, or Township 2, Range 4, North of the Waldo Patent, it was incorporated on February 16, 1811, as New Charlestown, to distinguish it from Charlestown, Massachusetts, when that state included the province of Maine. But in 1820, Maine achieved statehood, so any confusion between the two ceased. Consequently, in 1827 the name was shortened to Charleston.
Passages that mention Charleston, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Penobscot County, Maine1882 · page 310Read the page →
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viz : From Exeter, nearly on the line between Corinth (Ohio Settlement) and Levant, to Kenduskeag; from Exeter through the Eddy and Skinner settlements to Kenduskeag; from Charleston through East Corinth to Kenduskeag (between these two last roads runs the Kenduskeag Stream); from Charleston through East Ridge Settlement to Kenduskeag; from Charleston through the Farrar settlement, intersecting with roads leading to Kendus-
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History of Penobscot County, Maine1882 · page 310Read the page →
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viz : From Exeter, nearly on the line between Corinth (Ohio Settlement) and Levant, to Kenduskeag; from Exeter through the Eddy and Skinner settlements to Kenduskeag ; from Charleston through East Corinth to Kenduskeag (between these two last roads runs the Kenduskeag Stream); from Charleston through East Ridge Settlement to Kenduskeag; from Charleston through theFarrar settlement, intersecting with roads leading to Kendus-
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History of Penobscot County, Maine1882 · page 880Read the page →
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of Captain Smith. t In 1800 that company, then embracing Bangor and a territory called "Kenduskeag," which now composes the towns of Glenburn, Levant, Corinth, Charleston, Exeter, etc., was commanded by Captain Edward Wilkins, who then resided in what is now the town of Charleston. In 1802 the company was divided, a new company being organized in Bangor, and 'Bangor Centennial Address by Hon. J. E. Godfrey.
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History of Penobscot County, Maine1882 · page 279Read the page →
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The narrative now swings back to the older and more densely populated towns of the county. Charleston, formerly called New Charleston, is one of the oldest of these, having been settled in 1795 and incorporated in 181 1, the same year that Carmel was erected into a' town. Although nrore distant from Bangor, (twelve and a half miles away) than the former town, and as yet without a railroad, it is almost the peer of Carmel in popula-
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
Charleston, 1795 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1795, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Charleston’s post office opened in 1821, and the census of 1830 counted 859 people here.
How does Charleston rank for history?
Charleston is more historic than 80% 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 Charleston?
One place: the United Baptist Church (listed 2018).
How old are the homes in Charleston?
30% of Charleston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.7 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
1907
