8 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 4 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1790.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Georgetown is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Georgetown’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 Georgetown’s 158 sits above most of its state (92% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 16 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% 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 (±5.7 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 Georgetown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Abenaki called the island Erascohegan, possibly meaning "good spear-fishing." Other interpretations of the word suggest that it meant "a watching place." John Parker, a fisherman from Bedfordshire, England, purchased it in 1649 from Chief Mowhotiwormet, commonly known as Chief Robinhood, for a hogshead of rum and some pumpkins. Parker built the first permanent homestead on what eventually became known as Parker's Island.
Passages that mention Georgetown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Bath and environs, Sagadahoc County, Maine. 1607-1894 ..1894 · page 44Read the page →
Read the text
meetings were held in the dwelling-houses of the Philbrooks, James Springer, Isaiah Crooker, and Joseph Berry at Mill Cove. The organization of this parish was for municipal purposes only; it still comprising a part of the town of Georgetown, with a voice in its public affairs, until the parish became an incorporated town in 1781. In the second parish tax of personal property were twenty cows; hence it was called the "twenty cow parish." The cows corresponded with the number of families. At that date the parish took in "West
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Bath and environs, Sagadahoc County, Maine. 1607-1894 ..1894 · page 69Read the page →
Read the text
The petition of the second parish of Georgetown, in the County of Lincoln, by their committee duly appointed for the purpose hereafter mentioned, humbly showeth that the second parish is situated on the western side of the Kennebec River, a place called Long Reach, and forms the upper division of said town of Georgetown, and is bounded as follows, viz. : Northwesterly by New Meadows River, so called; northerly and easterly by Merrymeeting Bay; southerly by Kennebec River; and southerly and westerly by a
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
Georgetown, 1790 to 1989
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.
Georgetown is more historic than 92% 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 Georgetown?
8 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Seguin Island Light Station (listed 1977, the first), and 1 historic district, the Perkins Island Light Station, with 4 contributing buildings. 16 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Georgetown?
22% of Georgetown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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.
c. 1865
