Rockland was first counted by the census in 1850, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #52 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
23 places in town are on the National Register, among them 5 National Historic Landmarks and three historic districts with 167 buildings between them. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rockland is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #52 of 143 in Maine. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rockland’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 Rockland’s 260 sits above most of its state (96% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 183 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% 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 (±6.8 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 Rockland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 5 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Rockland, building by building, 1885–1922
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.
In 1767, John Lermond and his two brothers from Warren established a lumber operation, building a camp to produce oak staves and pine lumber. The area became known as Lermond's Cove and was first permanently settled around 1769. When Thomaston was incorporated in 1777, Lermond's Cove became a district called Shore Village.
On July 28, 1848, the area was set off from Thomaston as the town of East Thomaston. The community was renamed Rockland in 1850, reflecting its prominent limestone cliffs, and was chartered as a city in 1854.
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 Rockland post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Rockland rank for history?
Rockland is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #52 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 Rockland?
23 listings, 5 of them National Historic Landmarks: 12 buildings, among them the Farnsworth Homestead (listed 1973, the first), 3 historic districts, the Main Street Historic District, the Rockland Residential Historic District and the Rockland Turntable and Engine House, with 167 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 7 structures. 183 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Rockland?
44% of Rockland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1948.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (23), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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c. 1872
c. 1872
c. 1872
c. 1872
1898
