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A+History
History · Farmington

23% of Farmington’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #25 of 143 in Maine. What drives it

13 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 130 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1800.

13on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
15famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Farmington’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Farmington’s history

How historic is Farmington?

A+

More historic than 95% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Farmington’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Farmington is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #25 of 143 in Maine. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Farmington’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194023.2% of homes (±4.9) · typical ME town 19.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register13 listings, 141 historic buildings, 173 per 10,000 residents · typical ME town 15.9 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 95%
NewerOlder
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 83%

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 Farmington’s 173 sits above most of its state (93% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 141 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points).

Founding year: our sources. 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 Farmington’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Farmington Historic District takes in 130 historic buildings.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1922, drew every building in Farmington.Landmarks on the Register13 places on the National Register.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Farmington, and 4 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

13 listings protect 141 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
13
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
141
each building in a district counts
first listed
1969
Nordica Homestead
Nordica HomesteadLittle Red SchoolhouseFree Will Baptist MeetinghouseOld Union MeetinghouseCutler Memorial LibraryHiram Ramsdell HouseFirst Congregational Church, United Church of ChristChester and Isabel Greenwood HouseTufts House, built 1810Merrill HallGreenacreFranklin County CourthouseFarmington Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Federal3
Queen Anne3
Italianate3
Romanesque Revival2
Beaux-Arts1
Greek Revival1
Nordica HomesteadBuilding
Little Red SchoolhouseBuilding
Free Will Baptist MeetinghouseFederal
Old Union MeetinghouseFederal
Cutler Memorial LibraryBeaux-Arts
Hiram Ramsdell HouseGreek Revival
First Congregational Church, United Church of ChristRomanesque Revival
Chester and Isabel Greenwood HouseQueen Anne
All 13 listings
Tufts HouseBuilding · listed 1979Merrill HallBuilding · listed 1980GreenacreBuilding · listed 1982Franklin County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1983Farmington Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1995

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Every building

Farmington, building by building, 1885–1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Farmington fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Farmington came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Farmington.

Read it all →

The area was once territory of the Canibas tribe of Abenaki Indians. They had two camps located near Farmington Falls, with fields cleared for cultivation of maize and potatoes named Amassokanty (Amesoquanty by the French). Their fort's stockade enclosed about an acre at the center of what is today Farmington Falls village.

A group from Topsham arrived in 1776 to explore the area and lay out a town, called Plantation No. 1 or Sandy River Plantation, but permanent settlement was delayed by the Revolutionary War.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Farmington, 1810 to 1960

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1810BuiltTufts House is built
  3. 1857Born hereLillian Nordica is born here
  4. 1870In the archiveMain Street, looking north.Alternate Title: Views of Farmington, Maine
  5. 1875Post officeThe West Farmington post office opens
  6. 1881Post officeThe Fairbanks post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1903In the archiveCutlerMemorialLibraryFarmingtonME
  9. 1909Post officeThe Fairbanks post office closes
  10. 1924On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1947Born hereJanet T. Mills is born here
  12. 1959Born hereDan Simoneau is born here
  13. 1960Born hereKate Banks is born here
By decade

Farmington, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s–1900s5 items
Main Street, looking north.Alternate Title: Views of Farmington, Mainec. 1870Main Street, looking north.Alternate Title: Views of …Main Street, looking north.Alternate Title: Views of Farmington, Mainec. 1870Main Street, looking north.Alternate Title: Views of …Normal School buildingc. 1870Normal School buildingNormal School buildingc. 1870Normal School buildingCutlerMemorialLibraryFarmingtonME1903CutlerMemorialLibraryFarmingtonMEPostcard
1910s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Date unknown1 to date
Birthplace of Madame NordicaDate?Birthplace of Madame NordicaPostcard
Today5 recent
Farmington Maine2017Farmington MaineFarmington22015Farmington2FranklinCounty2010FranklinCounty2010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map for20102010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBookMain Street today2007Main Street today
On the map

Farmington on the map, 1924 to 1968

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Farmington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Farmington on the 1924 USGS mapFarmington on the 1956 USGS mapFarmington on the 1968 USGS map1924Farmington sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Farmington.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Main Street, looking north.Alternate Title: Views of Farmington, Maine
Retake this viewMain Street, looking north.Alternate Title: Views of Farmington, Maine, c. 1870

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Farmington’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Farmington, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00018001850190019502000Peak: 7,760

Between 942 and 7,760 people in every census since 1800.

23 censuses, 1800–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Farmington’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

15 famous people were born in Farmington

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Janet T. MillsAmerican politician and 75th governor of Maine · b. 1947
Lillian NordicaAmerican opera singer · b. 1857
D
Dan SimoneauAmerican cross-country skier · b. 1959
K
Kate BanksAmerican French children's writer · b. 1960
W
Wilhelmina HarperAmerican writer · b. 1884
G
G. Flint TaylorAmerican lawyer · b. 1946
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Fairbanks, opened and closed inside today’s town.

West Farmington
1875–today
Fairbanks
1881–1909
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
FairbanksFarmington FallsKnowltons CornerWest Farmington
18cemeteries and burying grounds inside Farmington
BelcherBlakeButterfieldCaseDavisFairviewGayGowerHolleyLowellMeeting HouseMosher HillRed SchoolhouseRiversideRussellSewallSmithWebster

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Farmington’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewMain Street, looking north.Alternate Ti…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Chesterville1 historic placeBIndustry1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNew VineyardIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNew Sharon2 historic placesA−Wilton2 historic placesB+Strong2 historic placesATemple1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Farmington’s history

How does Farmington rank for history?

Farmington is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #25 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 Farmington?

13 listings: 12 buildings, among them the Nordica Homestead (listed 1969, the first), and 1 historic district, the Farmington Historic District, with 130 contributing buildings. 141 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Farmington?

23% of Farmington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1975.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (13), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.