Founding year: the first Randolph post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Randolph’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Randolph is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Randolph’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 Randolph’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.9 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 Randolph’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Randolph. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1892Gardiner 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 Randolph.
The story so far
Randolph, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Randolph yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Randolph is a town and a census-designated place (CDP) in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,743 at the 2020 census. The town was named for Randolph, Massachusetts. Randolph is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area. Randolph is the smallest municipality by area in Maine that is not an island.
Its first post office opened in 1887. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,772 in 2010, 1,743 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Randolph in 1892
Passages that mention Randolph, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Illustrated history of Kennebec County, Maine1892 · page 742Read the page →
Read the text
The Gardiner & Pittston Bridge, opened as a toll bridge October 18, 1853, has no doubt assisted largely in building up the present village of Randolph; but since January 1, 1887, when the two towns connected purchased the shares of the bridge and made it free, it is claimed by some that business has declined.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Illustrated history of Kennebec County, Maine1892 · page 738Read the page →
Read the text
On the 14th of March, 1887, at the first annual town meeting, the usual town officers were elected. March 17th, by an act of legislature, the name West Pittston was changed to Randolph. The body politic has taken up the burden of self government in every branch; the Gardiner water works have been extended to Randolph, providing the village with water for fire and domestic purposes; electric lights adorn the principal streets; and in many similar respects the village vies with the neighboring cities across the river.
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
Randolph, 1887 to 1902
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Randolph post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Randolph rank for history?
Randolph is more historic than 49% 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.
How old are the homes in Randolph?
39% of Randolph’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.9 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1959.
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 (2), 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 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.
2023
2023