5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 6 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1918 on, and the census since 1830.
From Machiasport’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Machiasport began
When was Machiasport founded?
1826
The Machiasport post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Larrabee (1891) and Starboard (1905), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 688 in 18302020 census: 962200 years
How historic is Machiasport?
A
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Machiasport post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Machiasport’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Machiasport is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Machiasport’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 Machiasport’s 88.6 sits above most of its state (85% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 9 historic buildings outnumber those of 75% of U.S. towns.
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 (±11.3 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 Machiasport’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1633, the Plymouth Company established a trading post here to conduct business with the Native Americans. But this was part of Acadia, territory which New France considered its own. So in 1634, the trading post was sacked by French forces from Port Royal under the command of Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour.
In 1770, the area was granted by the Massachusetts General Court to 80 petitioners, 54 from Scarborough. It was first part of Machias, incorporated in 1784, then set off and incorporated as Machiasport in 1826.
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.
The Machiasport post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Machiasport rank for history?
Machiasport is more historic than 93% 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 Machiasport?
5 listings: 2 buildings, 1 historic district, the Marsh Stream Farm, with 6 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 9 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Machiasport?
31% of Machiasport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.3 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, 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.
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