2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 1 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1915 on, and the census since 1820.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Searsmont is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Searsmont’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 Searsmont’s 18.2 sits near the middle of its state (55% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Searsmont’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Located at the junction of several well-marked Indian trails, Searsmont was originally called Quantabacook. The town was a part of the Waldo Patent purchased by a consortium of wealthy Boston investors that included David Sears. First settled in 1804 and called Fraternity Village by Ben Ames Williams, it was incorporated on February 5, 1814, as Searsmont, named after its proprietor.
The town was noted for its productive soil, water power and abundant forests of white pine. By 1859, when the population was 1,693, it had 15 sawmills and two gristmills. In 1886, it had five lumber mills; three cooperages; a sash; blind and pump factory; four carriage factories; a tannery; a boot and shoe factory; and a coffin and bedstead factory.
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.
Searsmont is more historic than 62% 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 Searsmont?
Two places: the Hardscrabble Farm (listed 1994) and the Moody Farm (2002).
How old are the homes in Searsmont?
12% of Searsmont’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1988.
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 (5), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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