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–Not graded
History · Marshfield

23% of Marshfield’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1918 on and the census since 1850.

0on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Marshfield’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Marshfield are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1870 and 1940, then grew 3-fold.On the map since 19184 editions of the USGS map, 1918 to 1977. Watch Marshfield change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Marshfield’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Marshfield, census by census

01002003004005001850190019502000350 in 1870Low: 173

Lost half of its people between 1870 and 1940, then grew 3-fold.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

On the map

Marshfield on the map, 1918 to 1977

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

Marshfield on the 1918 USGS mapMarshfield on the 1949 USGS mapMarshfield on the 1951 USGS mapMarshfield on the 1977 USGS map1918Machias 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 Marshfield.

The story so far

Marshfield, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Marshfield yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Marshfield is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 528 at the 2020 census.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 518 in 2010, 528 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Marshfield, 1887 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Born hereLura Beam is born here
  3. 20th century
  4. 1918On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 21st century
  6. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 528
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Places that used to be

Old corners

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

Hamlets and corners on the map
Hoyttown

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

East Machias3 historic placesAMachias11 historic placesAWhitneyvilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorthfieldIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Marshfield’s history

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 Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.