South Berwick dates to 1631, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #14 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and three historic districts with 121 buildings between them. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1815.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives South Berwick’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South Berwick is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #14 of 143 in Maine. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South Berwick’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 South Berwick’s 163 sits above most of its state (92% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 125 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% 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 (±6.4 points). Two sources give 1631.
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 South Berwick’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. 2 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
The area was called Newichawannock by the Abenaki people, meaning "river with many falls," a reference to the Salmon Falls River. It was first settled by Europeans about 1631 as a part of Kittery known as Kittery North Parish. Near the confluence with the Great Works River, Ambrose Gibbons built the Great House at Newichawannock, a palisaded trading post, to exchange goods with the Indians.
Passages that mention South Berwick, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of York County, Maine. With illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers1880Read the page →
Read the text
South Berwick includes the old settlement at Quamphegan Landing, or the parish of Unity, which was incorporated in 1673, also known as Newichawannock, after the name given by the Indians to the Piscataqua River, from Quamphegan to the junction of the Coheco, Oyster, Exeter, and New Market Rivers, four miles below.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of York County, Maine. With illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers1880 · page 317Read the page →
Read the text
South Berwick Junction, a hamlet of twenty dwellings, on Great Works River, two miles east of South Berwick village, was made the junction of the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth, and the Boston and Maine Railroads, in 1843, and a post-oflSce established at that point. The town-house is located here. A store was opened by Daniel Quimby,
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.
By decade
South Berwick, decade by decade
2 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of South Berwick. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916Dover sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of South Berwick.
Every building
South Berwick, building by building, 1891–1913
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.
1891Sheet 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.
In 1631, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. South Berwick’s post office opened in 1815, and the census of 1820 counted 1,475 people here.
How does South Berwick rank for history?
South Berwick is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #14 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 South Berwick?
7 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 5 buildings, among them the Jonathan Hamilton House (a National Historic Landmark since 1970), 3 historic districts, the Berwick Academy, the South Berwick Village Historic District and the Berwick Academy Historic District, with 121 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 125 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in South Berwick?
22% of South Berwick’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.4 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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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★ Landmark
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