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AHistory
History · Kingfield

Kingfield dates to 1816, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 90% of U.S. towns. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1820.

1816founded
4on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Kingfield’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Kingfield began

When was Kingfield founded?

1816

Kingfield dates its founding to 1816 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 464 in 18202020 census: 960210 years

How historic is Kingfield?

A

More historic than 90% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Kingfield’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kingfield is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns. 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 Kingfield’s overall grade.
Founding era1816, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194029.4% of homes (±7.0) · typical ME town 19.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register4 listings, 48.8 per 10,000 residents · typical ME town 15.9 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 90%
NewerOlder

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 Kingfield’s 48.8 sits above most of its state (75% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 4 listings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1816.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.0 points).

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Kingfield’s past

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

Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1840 and 1880, then more than doubled.Deep rootsEstablished in 1816: 210 years of Kingfield.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · People over time

Kingfield, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001850190019502000671 in 1840Low: 454

Lost a third of its people between 1840 and 1880, then more than doubled.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Timeline

Kingfield, 1816 to 1990

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1816
    FoundingKingfield is established
  3. 1849Born hereFrancis Edgar Stanley is born here
  4. 1849Born hereFreelan Oscar Stanley is born here
  5. 1858Born hereChansonetta Stanley Emmons is born here
  6. 1895In the archiveKingfield, Me., Franklin Co., 1895
  7. 1896BuiltAmos G. Winter House is built
  8. 20th century
  9. 1910In the archivePostcardKingfieldMESuspensionBridgeCirca1910
  10. 1930On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1990CensusPopulation peaks at 1,114
On the National Register

4 historic places in Kingfield

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

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Amos G. Winter House
Amos G. Winter House, built 1896William F. Norton HouseFrank Hutchins HouseHerbert, The
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival1
Queen Anne1
Amos G. Winter HouseColonial Revival · Built 1896
William F. Norton HouseQueen Anne
Frank Hutchins HouseBuilding
Herbert, TheBuilding

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

The story

How Kingfield came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kingfield.

Read it all →

The first recorded European visitors were John W. Dutton and Nathaniel Kimball in 1805. They returned the following year with their families and began a settlement. In 1807, William King (later to be Maine's first Governor) purchased the township as part of the Bigham Plantation. In 1816 Kingfield was incorporated as the 210th town in the Maine District of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Kingfield, 1885–1893

Passages that mention Kingfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.

In 1883 and 1884, considerable discussion was had and several meetings held regarding the building of a narrow gauge railroad to Kingfield. Two routes were proposed. One route was to leave the Center Village at Farmington, run through New Vineyard, West New Portland, and thence to Kingfield. The ot…
A history of Farmington, Franklin County, Maine, from the earliest explorations to the present time, 1776-18851885 · page 195Read the page →
Read the text

In 1883 and 1884, considerable discussion was had and several meetings held regarding the building of a narrow gauge railroad to Kingfield. Two routes were proposed. One route was to leave the Center Village at Farmington, run through New Vineyard, West New Portland, and thence to Kingfield. The other route proposed was to leave the Sandy River Railroad at Strong Village, and thence pass through Freeman, Salem, and thence to Kingfield. Although

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
assisted Joseph North in completing the survey of the town, ]5robably in 1784, and subsequently lotted a number of townships in tliis and adjoining counties, among which was the town of Kingfield. He was frequently employed by Mr. R. H. Gardiner in surveying his land in Gardiner. Mr. Adams was the …
A history of Farmington, Franklin County, Maine, from the earliest explorations to the present time, 1776-18851885 · page 361Read the page →
Read the text

assisted Joseph North in completing the survey of the town, ]5robably in 1784, and subsequently lotted a number of townships in tliis and adjoining counties, among which was the town of Kingfield. He was frequently employed by Mr. R. H. Gardiner in surveying his land in Gardiner. Mr. Adams was the last clerk of the Colburn Associates, and upon the incorporation of the town in 1794, was elected its moderator, and in 1795 its town clerk, a pos-

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
He was the projector and builder of the suspension bridges at Strong and Kingfield, in Franklin County. At the last mentioned place the following incident is related in regard to the newly-completed bridge. The sway of the bridge when completed caused many people unacquainted with such structures t…
A history of the town of Industry, Franklin County, Maine, from the earliest settlement in 1787 down to the present time1893 · page 511Read the page →
Read the text

He was the projector and builder of the suspension bridges at Strong and Kingfield, in Franklin County. At the last mentioned place the following incident is related in regard to the newly-completed bridge. The sway of the bridge when completed caused many people unacquainted with such structures to question its safety. To show his own confidence in the permanency and strength of the structure, Mr. Beede, in the presence of a large company of people, drove his horse across the bridge and back at full speed, and was heartily cheered on his return

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
the town. The existing bitter partisan spirit had a tendency to magnify and distort the reports and great excitement prevailed, even in the little town of Industry. A detachment of the militia was sent to Kingfield to restore order and enforce the law. They found nothing to do, however, but to spen…
A history of the town of Industry, Franklin County, Maine, from the earliest settlement in 1787 down to the present time1893 · page 316Read the page →
Read the text

the town. The existing bitter partisan spirit had a tendency to magnify and distort the reports and great excitement prevailed, even in the little town of Industry. A detachment of the militia was sent to Kingfield to restore order and enforce the law. They found nothing to do, however, but to spend their time in hunting, fishing and feasting. Carefully considered, the bare facts show nothing to justify the application of the term "riot" to the Kingfield affair.

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.

By decade

Kingfield, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1910s2 items
Kingfield, Me., Franklin Co., 18951895Kingfield, Me., Franklin Co., 1895PostcardKingfieldMESuspensionBridgeCirca1910c. 1910PostcardKingfieldMESuspensionBridgeCirca1910Postcard
1920s–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 unknown4 to date
Bandstand & CommonDate?Bandstand & CommonPostcardBird's-eye View of Kingfield Village, MEDate?Bird's-eye View of Kingfield Village, MEPostcardKingfield Dam & MountainDate?Kingfield Dam & MountainPostcardKingfield High SchoolDate?Kingfield High SchoolPostcard
Today2 recent
Kingfield2008KingfieldMaine State Routes 16 and 27 in downtown2003Maine State Routes 16 and 27 in downtown
On the map

Kingfield on the map, 1930 to 1989

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

Kingfield on the 1930 USGS mapKingfield on the 1977 USGS mapKingfield on the 1989 USGS map1930Kingfield 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 Kingfield.

Every building

Kingfield, building by building, 1908

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 sheet.

Kingfield fire insurance map, 1908, sheet 11908Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

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

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.

Kingfield, Me., Franklin Co., 1895
Retake this viewKingfield, Me., Franklin Co., 1895, 1895

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Kingfield

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

See all →
Francis Edgar StanleyAmerican businessman · b. 1849
Freelan Oscar StanleyAmerican inventor of steam vehicle · b. 1849
Chansonetta Stanley EmmonsAmerican photographer · b. 1858
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Soule Mill
Gone or out of use
Stanley Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Kingfield
RiversideSunnyside

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Kingfield’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Kingfield’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 photo4 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewKingfield, Me., Franklin Co., 1895: 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.

Carrabassett ValleyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNew Portland1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Kingfield’s history

What year was Kingfield founded?

In 1816, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1820 counted 464 people here.

How does Kingfield rank for history?

Kingfield is more historic than 90% 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 Kingfield?

4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Amos G. Winter House (listed 1976, the first).

How old are the homes in Kingfield?

29% of Kingfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.0 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1973.

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 (8), Wikidata (2), 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 USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.