6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 6 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1860.
The Rangeley post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1855. Five smaller post offices, Mountainview (1896), Macy (1903) and South Rangeley (1913), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 238 in 18602020 census: 1,222175 years
How historic is Rangeley?
B+
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Rangeley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1855.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rangeley’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rangeley is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rangeley’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 Rangeley’s 139 sits above most of its state (90% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% 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 (±5.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1855 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Rangeley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Rangeley’s post office has been open since 1851. Five other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Rangeley
1851–today
Mountainview
1896–1935
Oquossoc
1902–today
Macy
1903–1910
South Rangeley
1913–1935
Mingo Springs
1917–1934
Mooselookmeguntic
1936–1947
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bald MountainKamankeagMacyMingo SpringsMooselookmegunticMountainviewOquossocSouth Rangeley
1cemetery inside Rangeley
Rangeley Village
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Rangeley, building by building, 1901–1922
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.
1901Sheet 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.
On the National Register
6 historic places in Rangeley
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
It is named after an Englishman, Squire James Rangeley, who inherited a 31,000-acre (130 km2) tract bought from Massachusetts in 1796 by his father. He arrived in 1825 to establish an estate based on the English system of landlord and tenants, also giving extensive land to settlers. He built a sawmill, a gristmill, a two-story mansion, and a ten-mile (16 km) road to connect his property with the rest of the world. Rangeley resided here for 15 years, then sold the property and moved to Portland.
Passages that mention Rangeley, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Farmington, Franklin County, Maine, from the earliest explorations to the present time, 1776-18851885 · page 194Read the page →
Read the text
of Mr. Geo. E. Mansfield, a very competent engineer and architect, who had had some experience in the construction of narrow gauge railroads. Its original cost was about $120,000. The town of Rangeley voted $1500, and Madrid $1200 in aid of the enterprise, and bonds were issued to the amount of $50,000 to supplement the amounts subscribed in stock. The first train of cars ran from Farmington to Phillips, Nov. 20, 1879, and was received with every demonstra-
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
Rangeley, 1851 to 1948
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.
The Rangeley post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1855.
How does Rangeley rank for history?
Rangeley is more historic than 72% 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 Rangeley?
6 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Rangley Public Library (listed 1978, the first), and 1 historic district, the Rangeley Lakes Country Club Historic District, with 6 contributing buildings. 11 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Rangeley?
20% of Rangeley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1969.
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 (10), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, 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.
c. 1912
c. 1915
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