Rumford dates to 1782, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #13 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
11 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 90 buildings between them. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1923 on, and the census since 1800.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1815.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rumford’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rumford is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #13 of 143 in Maine. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rumford’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 Rumford’s 165 sits above most of its state (92% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 98 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1782.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.3 points).
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 Rumford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally called New Pennacook Plantation, the township was granted in 1779 to Timothy Walker, Jr. and associates of Concord, New Hampshire. Both Pennacook and Rumford are former names of Concord, from which many early settlers arrived. The first pioneers, however, were Jonathan Keyes and his son Francis in 1782 from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Incorporated in 1800, the town would later annex land from Peru, Maine, and Franklin Plantation.
Passages that mention Rumford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Rumford, Oxford County, Maine, from its first settlement in 1779, to the present time1890 · page 224Read the page →
Read the text
for the protection of the bridge, providing a fine of three dollars for crossing it faster than a walk. March 23, 1839, an act was passed increasing the rates of toll, and making the rates at Bethel, Rumford and Jay, uniform. Tlie bridge at Jay was built by the "Oxford Bridge Association" This constitutes all the legislation with regard to the Rumford bridge, nor was this last necessary, for January 26, 1839, this bridge, the one at Bethel and several others on the Androscoggin below, were swept away by a winter freshet.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Rumford, Oxford County, Maine, from its first settlement in 1779, to the present time1890 · page 5Read the page →
Read the text
|HE parent town of Rumford, beautifully situated on the banks of the Merrimac, was Concord, in the State of New Hampshire, and from that town came many of the early settlers. A brief sketch of early Concord, is therefore essential to a clear comprehension of the causes that led to the settlement of Rumford. The long controversy between the Masonian Proprietors of New Hampshire and the Government of the Massachusetts Bay, respecting the division line between the two Provinces, is recorded in history, and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Waterford, Oxford County, Maine, comprising Historical address, by Henry P. Warren1879 · page 69Read the page →
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.
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 1782, according to Wikidata. Rumford’s post office opened in 1815, and the census of 1800 counted 262 people here.
How does Rumford rank for history?
Rumford is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #13 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 Rumford?
11 listings: 8 buildings and 3 historic districts, the Strathglass Park District, the Rumford Falls Paper Company Historic District and the Rumford Commercial Historic District, with 90 contributing buildings. 98 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Rumford?
42% of Rumford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1947.
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 (21), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (11), 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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