The Frenchville post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Dickeyville (1869), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,851 in 18702020 census: 1,052141 years
How historic is Frenchville?
C+
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Frenchville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Frenchville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Frenchville is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Frenchville’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 Frenchville’s 10.3 sits near the middle of its state (42% 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 C to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Frenchville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 2,560 in 1890; 1,052 people lived here in 2020.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Frenchville’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Frenchville, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Frenchville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Frenchville is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,052 at the 2020 census. According to the most recent American Community Survey data, up to 43.3% of the population age 5 and older speak French at home, aided by its proximity to French-speaking Quebec and New Brunswick in Canada. Among younger generations, English and "Valley French," a combination of English and French, are preferred. The town is home to the general aviation airport Northern Aroostook Regional Airport, Frenchville Railroad Station and Water Tank, and Corriveau Mill.
Its first post office opened in 1885. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,087 to 1,052 (-3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Frenchville, 1869 to 1932
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Frenchville post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Frenchville rank for history?
Frenchville is more historic than 45% 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 Frenchville?
One place: the Frenchville Railroad Station and Water Tank (listed 1995).
How old are the homes in Frenchville?
14% of Frenchville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1976.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
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2020
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