Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1878.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Dayton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dayton is more historic than 62% 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 Dayton’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 Dayton’s 4.3 sits below most of its state (26% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1798.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 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 Dayton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area was once inhabited by the Sokokis (or Saco) Indigenous peoples, who hunted and fished along the Saco River. The old Sokokis Trail is now Route 5, which passes through Dayton. In 1664, Major William Phillips purchased from the sagamore the land which would become Little Falls Plantation—today the towns of Hollis, Dayton and part of Limington. In 1728, a stockaded fort which contained a trading post was built a half mile below Union Falls. Called the Saco Truck House or Saco Block House, the garrison was maintained throughout the French and Indian War until the fall of Quebec in 1759.
Passages that mention Dayton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of York County, Maine. With illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers1880 · page 425Read the page →
Read the text
action was diverted by the incorporation of the town of Hollis the next year. It remained a part of Hollis until April 7, 1854, when it was incorporated by act of the Legislature, and became the town of Dayton. The first election was held at the brick school-house, near the store of John M. Goodwin, at Goodwin's Landing, on Monday, May 1, 1854. John M. Goodwin was elected Moderator ; John S. Murch, Town Clerk ; Daniel Hill (2d),
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of York County, Maine. With illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers1880 · page 369Read the page →
Read the text
the North Parish, Feb. 4, 1794. Massabesic was taken oflF, and incorporated as a separate town, under the name of Watcrborough, March 6, 1787. That part now included in the town of Dayton north of Salmon Falls, the town of I Hollis, and the part of Limington south of the Little Ossi-
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
Dayton, 1798 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1798, according to Wikidata. Dayton’s post office opened in 1878, and the census of 1860 counted 701 people here.
How does Dayton rank for history?
Dayton is more historic than 62% 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 Dayton?
One place: the Levi Foss House (listed 1984).
How old are the homes in Dayton?
14% of Dayton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 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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