Norway dates to 1797, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #31 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 64 buildings. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1800.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1801.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Norway’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Norway is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #31 of 143 in Maine. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Norway’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 Norway’s 128 sits above most of its state (90% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 67 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.6 points). Two sources give 1797.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Norway’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fertile soil and abundant fauna surrounding the Pennessewasse Lake supported native people in the region for thousands of years. It wasn't until after the American Revolution that European settlers established the town of Norway.
In 1786, Joseph Stevens, George Leslie, Amos Hobbs, Jeremiah Hobbs, Jonas Stevens, and Nathaniel Stevens began clearing land and building homes. They intended to not only provide for their families, but also attract new settlers to their small community. Many of the early settlers had fought in the Revolutionary War, including Phineas Whitney, a veteran of the Battle of Bunker Hill.
To these should be added the settlers on the Waterford Three Tiers, afterwards annexed to Norway, when the town was incorporated, which will show the total population of what is now the town of Norway, in 1790. The names of heads of families on the Waterford Three Tiers at that time were as hereafter will be seen, Phinehas Whitney with wife, two boys and two girls besides himself, and Jonathan Stickney, who had with him another male over 16 years of age (Lemuel Shedd)—eight persons in all, which added to the 102
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
If one will examine the map of the town of Norway he will see that its eastern line near the southern end is not straight but makes a considerable bend to the east. A part of Norway village is in the tract inclosed by this bent line, which was once a part of the town of Paris. It is a portion of lots six, seven and eight in the first range of lots in Paris, and Norway people owned so much of the land in them and it would be so much more convenient at that period for those who built upon it to belong to Norway Village than to South Paris,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
If one will examine the map of the town of Norway he will see that its eastern line near the southern end is not straight but makes a considerable bend to the east. A part of Norway village is in the tract inclosed by this bent line, which was once a part of the town of Paris. It is a portion of lots six, seven and eight in the first range of lots in Paris, and Norway people owned so much of the land in them and it would be so much more convenient at that period for those who built upon it to belong to Norway Village than to South Paris,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
It was provided in the act, incorporating the town of Norway, that Waterford, which had a few days before been incorporated as a town, should be entitled to four-fifths of all the public lots on the Three Tiers. There were four public lots on this tract. Lot 15, Range 14 was a ministerial lot. It afterwards sold for $51. Lot 9, Range 16, was a school lot, and two were college lots.
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
Norway, 1797 to 1930
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.
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.
In 1797, according to Wikidata. Norway’s post office opened in 1801, and the census of 1800 counted 609 people here.
How does Norway rank for history?
Norway is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #31 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 Norway?
Three places: the Norway Historic District (listed 1988), the Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bennett House (1996) and the Camp Cinnamon (2019).
How old are the homes in Norway?
27% of Norway’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.6 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (18), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
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c. 1930
c. 1930
