Newport dates to 1808, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #89 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Hexagon Barn and the North Newport Christian Church. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1818.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Newport’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newport is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #89 of 143 in Maine. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newport’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 Newport’s 6.4 sits below most of its state (31% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.7 points). Two sources give 1808.
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 Newport’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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 year, then a sheet.
1885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Newport’s post office has been open since 1818. Another post office, North Newport, opened and closed inside today’s town.
The town was settled c. 1808 as East Pond Plantation, then incorporated on June 14, 1814, as Newport. Agriculture was a principal early occupation, and industries included several sawmills, a gristmill, a foundry, cabinet shop, and a number of harness and blacksmith shops. By 1859, when the population was 1,120, Newport was an important producer of carriages "...which, for durability and finish, [were] not excelled by any in the state." The Maine Central Railroad connected to Newport and made it the terminus for its Dexter & Newport Railway, which opened in 1868. By 1880, the population reached 1,451, and industries included a marble, granite and slate works, and a maker of boots and shoes. In 1891, the woolen mill was built, and the Aroostook Condensed Milk Company founded. The latter became the Maine Condensed Milk Company in 1894, then Borden's Condensed Milk Company in 1902.
Passages that mention Newport, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A brief history of Newport, Maine, 1814-19141914 · page 20Read the page →
Read the text
In the year 1838 Mark Fisher came to Newport from Levant, and. in com})any with Joseph Southwick, built what was at that time the largest tannery in the state, located on the easterly side of the river, just ])elow the present lower bridge, and extending along the stream on both sides of the railroad tracks ; traces of the old tannery pits may still be seen below the railroad eml)ankment, directly in the rear of the abandoned cemetery on Elm St. Mr. Fisher resided in Newport for about ten years
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A brief history of Newport, Maine, 1814-19141914 · page 53Read the page →
Read the text
The first school horse was l)inlt al)Out the year 1822 on the North County road, near the watering place just below the Hilliker faim of today. The entire territory of North Newport was then in one district (No. 4) and Miss Amanda Barker of Exeter taught the school, with fifty-two i)upils. In i(S30 that part of North Newport now known as Rutland was set off as District No. 5 ; while the school house in District No. 6 was moved to a site cast of the residence of Frank Ireland and designated
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
Newport, 1808 to 2006
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.
In 1808, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Newport’s post office opened in 1818, and the census of 1820 counted 510 people here.
How does Newport rank for history?
Newport is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #89 of 143 in Maine. 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 Newport?
Two places: the Hexagon Barn (listed 1980) and the North Newport Christian Church (1995).
How old are the homes in Newport?
24% of Newport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.7 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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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, 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.
![In the year 1838 Mark Fisher came to Newport from Levant, and. in com})any with Joseph Southwick, built what was at that time the largest tannery in the state, located on the easterly side of the river, just ])elow the present lower bridge, and extending along the stream on both sides of the railro…](https://images.townratings.com/story/23483/bk-aaea07d5eda96e43-l.jpg)
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