Eliot dates to 1810, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #65 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 8 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1916 on, and the census since 1810.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1826.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Eliot’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Eliot is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #65 of 143 in Maine. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Eliot’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 Eliot’s 12.6 sits near the middle of its state (48% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 9 historic buildings outnumber those of 75% of U.S. towns.
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 (±8.0 points). Two sources give 1810.
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 Eliot’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Today's town of Eliot was formerly the Middle Parish of the town Kittery, Maine, originally part of the royal grant to Sir Ferdinando Gorges known as the Piscataqua Plantation. Kittery was incorporated in 1647, today distinguishing itself as "the oldest incorporated town in Maine."
While this may be so, settlements upriver on the north side of the Piscataqua River in today's Eliot were established considerably earlier, owing to more favorable conditions for harborage, timber, and shipbuilding. This is the basis for Eliot maintaining it was "settled" almost a quarter century earlier in 1623.
Passages that mention Eliot, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of York County, Maine. With illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers1880Read the page →
Read the text
Eliot, a station on the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad, near the centre of the town, is surrounded by a more broken farming country, and contains, besides the depot and half a dozen dwellings, the stores of William Robinson, Jasper Shapleigh carriage-shop near by, and the post-office in the depot. C. A. Hayden is station-agent and postmaster.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the centennial of the incorporation of the town of Eliot, Maine, August 7th-13, 19101912Read the page →
Read the text
Show me such a towu, which can point to three men out of a town of the population as yours"; successful constructors of great ships. To you, the town of Eliot, belongs that honor. And again, you can point with pride to the men who lived here fifty years ago ; men who earned their bread by the sweat of their brows in the shipyards building ships, and made successful voyages.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the centennial of the incorporation of the town of Eliot, Maine, August 7th-13, 19101912Read the page →
Read the text
The first School Building within the limits of our present town of Eliot, is said to have been a log house, — location unknown. This gave place to a frame building at Sandy Hill, later used as a dwelling house and still in existence.
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
Eliot, 1810 to 1935
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 1810, according to Wikidata. Eliot’s post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1810 counted 1,650 people here.
How does Eliot rank for history?
Eliot is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #65 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 Eliot?
4 listings: 1 building and 2 historic districts, the Frost Garrison and House and the Paul Family Farm, with 8 contributing buildings. 9 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Eliot?
25% of Eliot’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.0 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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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