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History · Sweden

Sweden’s post office opened in 1813, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1820.

1813first post office

0on the National Register

20%homes built before 1940

1famous people

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Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0

Quick answers

How Sweden began

When was Sweden founded?

1813

The Sweden post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 249 in 18202020 census: 406213 years

Founding year: the first Sweden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Sweden’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Sweden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1860 and 1970, then grew 3-fold.On the map since 19095 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1995. Watch Sweden change.Deep rootsA post office since 1813: 213 years of Sweden.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sweden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sweden’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

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People over time

Sweden, census by census

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1860 and 1970, then grew 3-fold.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sweden’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Sweden on the map, 1909 to 1995

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sweden. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

1909Fryeburg 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 Sweden.

The story

How Sweden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sweden.

Read it all →

This was once territory of the Abenaki tribe, whose main village was at Pequawket (now Fryeburg). Pequawket was attacked during Dummer's War on May 8, 1725, by Captain John Lovewell and his company of soldiers. Lovewell was killed in the battle, after which the tribe fled to Canada for safety. Called New Suncook Plantation, it was granted by the Massachusetts General Court in 1774 to the officers and soldiers (or heirs) for their services to the state. In 1800, the town was incorporated as Lovell after Captain Lovewell.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Sweden in 1896

Passages that mention Sweden, cut from the printed page as they were published.

In the fall of 1873, the condition of the colony was excellent. The little settlement of fifty had increased to six hundred, and outside of New Sweden there were as many more Swedes located in our state, drawn to us by our Swedish colony. The settlement of New Sweden had outgrown the township of th… — **The Story of New Sweden as told at the quarter centennial celebration of the founding of the Swedish colony in the woods of Maine, June 25, 1895**1896 · page 82Read the page →
Read the text
In the fall of 1873, the condition of the colony was excellent. The little settlement of fifty had increased to six hundred, and outside of New Sweden there were as many more Swedes located in our state, drawn to us by our Swedish colony. The settlement of New Sweden had outgrown the township of that name and spread over the adjoining sections of Woodland, Caribou and Perham. The trees on 2200 acres
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

In the ftill of 1873, the condition of the colony was excellent. The little settlement of fifty had increased to six hundred, and outside of New Sweden there were as many more Swedes located in our state, drawn to us by our Swedish colony. The settlement of New Sweden had outgrown the township of t… — **The story of New Sweden [electronic resource]**1896 · page 82Read the page →
Read the text
In the ftill of 1873, the condition of the colony was excellent. The little settlement of fifty had increased to six hundred, and outside of New Sweden there were as many more Swedes located in our state, drawn to us by our Swedish colony. The settlement of New Sweden had outgrown the township of that name and spread over the adjoining sections of Woodland, Caribou and Perham. The trees on 2200 acres
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

**The Story of New Sweden as told at the quarter centennial celebration of the founding of the Swedish colony in the woods of Maine, June 25, 1895**1896Read the page →
Read the text
New Sweden was incorporated as a town on January 29, 1895. The first town election was held on the March 6, 1895, and the following persons were elected the first officers of the Town of New Sweden : Labs P. Larson, ] Ola H. Nelson, V Selectmen.
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.

Timeline

Sweden, 1813 to 1909

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

19th century
1813Post officeThe Sweden post office opens
1838Born hereSarah Elizabeth Bierce is born here
1860CensusPopulation peaks at 728
20th century
1902Post officeThe Sweden post office closes
1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey

By decade

Sweden, decade by decade

Today4 recent

2013Sweden, Maine

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Sweden had its own post office from 1813 to 1902.

Sweden

1813–1902

18101920today

Hamlets and corners on the map

East Sweden

10cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sweden

Black MountainBrackettFlintGammayHaskellLibbySawyerStevensTaylorWebber

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Lovell5 historic placesA Fryeburg13 historic placesA Waterford2 historic placesA Bridgton11 historic placesB⁺

Questions about Sweden’s history

What year was Sweden founded?

The Sweden post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

Start a conversation

Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), 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.

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