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History · Freedom

Freedom dates to 1794, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Keen Hall and the Mill at Freedom Falls. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1926 on, and the census since 1820.

1794founded
2on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Freedom’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Freedom began

When was Freedom founded?

1794

Freedom dates its founding to 1794 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 788 in 18202020 census: 711232 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1832.The full story ↓

What stands out about Freedom’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,153 in 1840; 711 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Freedom, and 4 old place names are still on the map.Deep rootsEstablished in 1794: 232 years of Freedom.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Freedom’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Freedom’s history is told.

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 viewFreedom Falls: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Freedom, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001850190019502000Peak: 1,153

Peaked at 1,153 in 1840; 711 people lived here in 2020.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Freedom’s post office has been open since 1832. Another post office, Smithton, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Freedom
1832–today
Smithton
1885–1905
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Hutchins CornerSibley CornerSmithtonThurstons Corner
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Freedom
BradstreetKelley - DanforthPleasant HillSmithton

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

The story

How Freedom came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Freedom.

Read it all →

The area was part of the Plymouth Patent. It was settled in 1794 by Stephen Smith, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. First called Smithstown Plantation, it was later called Beaver Hill Plantation. During the War of 1812, the town was incorporated on June 11, 1813, as Freedom, a name which had political significance. Freedom Academy was founded in 1836. The town's population was 716 inhabitants in 1870, and 652 in 1880.

Principal products of farms were hay and potatoes. Sandy Stream, which is supplied by Sandy and Duck ponds, provided water power for early mills. Industries included a flour mill, corn mill, sawmill for long lumber, shingle mill, a shovel handle factory, a carding, clothing and woolen mill, and a tannery.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Freedom, 1794 to 1926

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1794
    FoundingFreedom is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1832Post officeThe Freedom post office opens
  5. 1834BuiltMill at Freedom Falls is built
  6. 1836Born hereGeorge Willard Coy is born here
  7. 1840CensusPopulation peaks at 1,153
  8. 1842Born hereJohn Sherwin Crosby is born here
  9. 1843Born hereDaniel F. Davis is born here
  10. 1885Post officeThe Smithton post office opens
  11. 20th century
  12. 1905Post officeThe Smithton post office closes
  13. 1907In the archiveFreedom Falls
  14. 1926On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Freedom, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s1 item
Freedom Fallsc. 1907Freedom Falls
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
Annual report of the municipal officers of the town ofDate?Annual report of the municipal officers of the town ofBook
Today6 recent
FreedomME LostKitchen32022FreedomME LostKitchen3FreedomME LostKitchen22022FreedomME LostKitchen2FreedomME LostKitchen12022FreedomME LostKitchen1FreedomME KeenHall2022FreedomME KeenHallGillie Outside2011Gillie OutsideGillie Out Again2011Gillie Out Again
On the map

Freedom on the map, 1926 to 1982

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

Freedom on the 1926 USGS mapFreedom on the 1957 USGS mapFreedom on the 1982 USGS map1926Burnham 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 Freedom.

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.

Freedom Falls
Retake this viewFreedom Falls, c. 1907

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Freedom

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2012
Mill at Freedom Falls
Keen HallMill at Freedom Falls, built 1834
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Timber Frame Mill1
Keen HallBuilding
All 2 listings
Mill at Freedom FallsBuilding · listed 2012

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Freedom

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

See all →
Daniel F. DavisAmerican politician and lawyer from Maine · b. 1843
G
George Willard CoyAmerican inventor, mechanic and entrepreneur · b. 1836
John Sherwin CrosbyAmerican tax reformer · b. 1842
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Montville3 historic placesAAlbion1 historic placeB+Unity2 historic placesB−KnoxIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Freedom’s history

What year was Freedom founded?

In 1794, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Freedom’s post office opened in 1832, and the census of 1820 counted 788 people here.

What is on the National Register in Freedom?

Two places: the Keen Hall (listed 2017) and the Mill at Freedom Falls (2012).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.