Searsport dates to 1845, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #41 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
12 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 21 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1846. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Searsport’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Searsport is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #41 of 143 in Maine. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Searsport’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 Searsport’s 109 sits above most of its state (88% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 29 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
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 (±10.6 points). Two sources give 1845.
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 Searsport’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Searsport was settled in the 1760s and incorporated on February 13, 1845, from portions of Prospect and Belfast. In 1747, when fire destroyed the Province House in Boston, General Samuel Waldo advocated, unsuccessfully, that the capital of Massachusetts be moved to Searsport, which was part of the Waldo Patent he had purchased about 1720. It was named after David Sears of Boston after he agreed to grant a large sum of money towards the town's founding. Searsport is noted for its rich maritime history. During the 19th century the port had 17 shipyards and built 200 ships, while supplying fully one-tenth of the United States' merchant marine deep water captains, per square mile more than any other community in the country. The Penobscot Marine Museum faithfully recalls this heritage.
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.
1890Sheet 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.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewPark Griffin Treat House, Searsport, ME Built 1840, 1840
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Searsport’s page.
In 1845, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Searsport’s post office opened in 1846, and the census of 1850 counted 2,208 people here.
How does Searsport rank for history?
Searsport is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #41 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 Searsport?
12 listings: 8 buildings and 4 historic districts with 21 contributing buildings. 29 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Searsport?
23% of Searsport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.6 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (1), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (12), 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.
