2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 4 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1930 on, and the census since 1810.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1828.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Strong’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Strong is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Strong’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 Strong’s 40.0 sits above most of its state (71% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% 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 (±8.4 points). Two sources give 1784.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Strong’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The plantation was called Township No. 3, First Range North of Plymouth Claim, West of Kennebec River (or T3 R1 NPC WKR), then successively known as Middletown and Readstown. It was first settled in 1784 by William Read from Nobleboro. Readstown was incorporated on January 31, 1801, and named for Caleb Strong, a Founding Father of the United States and governor of Massachusetts. The Maine Republican Party was founded here on August 7, 1854.
Passages that mention Strong, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Farmington, Franklin County, Maine, from the earliest explorations to the present time, 1776-18851885 · page 194Read the page →
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well suited to the purposes of the projected railway. The sentiment of the people of Strong and Phillips, as well as of the back towns, was found to be favorable to the enterprise. A temporary organization was effected for the purpose of securing subscriptions to the stock, and up to March 24, 1879, $60,000 had been subscribed, including $14,000 voted by the town of Phillips, and $9,000 voted by the town of Strong. The company was permanently organized at Phillips,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of the town of Industry, Franklin County, Maine, from the earliest settlement in 1787 down to the present time1893 · page 5Read the page →
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In 1822 the inhabitants residing in the New Vineyard Gore (see p. 46) sent a petition to the Legislature, praying that their estates be set off from Industry and annexed to the town of Strong. This movement was strongly opposed by the town of Industry, and the prayer of the petitioners was not granted. When the Lowell, or Mile-and-a-half Strip, was surveyed by Esq. Cornelius Norton, in 1802, the boundaries at Stark line were not known. Consequently the whole of Lot No. 1,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of the town of Industry, Franklin County, Maine, from the earliest settlement in 1787 down to the present time1893 · page 390Read the page →
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portion of the cemetery was washed away and many coffins carried down the river. The bridges at the village and Whitney's Mills were also swept away. The suspension bridge at Strong was somewhat damaged, while the western span of tin- Fairbanks and Centre bridges in Farmington, as well as the Chesterville portion of the bridge at Farmington Falls, were carried away by the water. Near the Centre Bridge in Farmington was the newly erected corn-canning factory of J. Winslow
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A history of Farmington, Franklin County, Maine, from the earliest explorations to the present time, 1776-18851885 · page 519Read the page →
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Jeremiah B. Knowlton succeeded to the homestead farm, which he cultivated until i860, when he purchased the Fossett farm in the town of Strong, whither he removed, and has since become one of the most extensive farmers in the county. He has been honored by the citizens of his adopted town with various municpal offices.
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
Strong, decade by decade
3 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1920s. 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.
In 1784, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Strong’s post office opened in 1828, and the census of 1810 counted 424 people here.
How does Strong rank for history?
Strong is more historic than 90% 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 Strong?
Two places: the Porter-Bell-Brackley Estate (listed 1980) and the McCleary Farm (1989).
How old are the homes in Strong?
30% of Strong’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.4 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (3), Wikidata (1), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
