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A−History
History · Wells

Wells dates to 1643, and 19 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #71 of 143 in Maine. What drives it

Most of Wells was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1790.

1643founded
19on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Wells’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Wells began

When was Wells founded?

1643

Wells dates its founding to 1643 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 3,070 in 17902020 census: 11,314383 years

How historic is Wells?

A−

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1791.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Wells’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wells is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #71 of 143 in Maine. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wells’ overall grade.
Founding era1643, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19408.1% of homes (±2.5) · typical ME town 19.1% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register19 listings, 30 historic buildings, 25.6 per 10,000 residents · typical ME town 15.9 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 82%
NewerOlder
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 51%

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 Wells’ 25.6 sits near the middle of its state (63% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 30 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1643.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size.

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 Wells’ past

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

Older than the countryEstablished in 1643, 133 years before the Declaration of Independence.Lost villages5 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Wells, and 21 old place names are still on the map.Landmarks on the Register19 places on the National Register.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1810 and 1910, then grew 5-fold.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Wells, 1643 to 2020

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

  1. 17th century
  2. 1643
    FoundingWells is established
  3. 1696Born hereEsther Wheelwright is born here
  4. 18th century
  5. 1786Born hereJohn Fairfield Scamman is born here
  6. 1791Post officeThe Wells post office opens
  7. 19th century
  8. 1804Born hereNathaniel Littlefield is born here
  9. 1810In the archive1810 WellsSocialLibrary Kennebunk Maine WeeklyVisitor Feb3
  10. 1820Born hereDaniel W. Gooch is born here
  11. 1844Post officeThe Wells Depot post office opens
  12. 1874Post officeThe Wells Branch post office opens
  13. 1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  14. 20th century
  15. 1903In the archiveWells High School Wells Maine 1903 Postcard
  16. 1908Post officeThe Wells Branch post office closes
  17. 1910In the archiveRailroad Station, Wells Beach, ME
  18. 1920In the archiveBridge Over Webhannet River, Wells Beach, ME
  19. 1921Post officeThe Wells Depot post office closes
  20. 1930In the archiveBathing beach and ledge, front of casino, Wells Beach, Maine (66124)
  21. 1984BuiltLaudholm Farm is built
  22. 21st century
  23. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 11,314
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Wells’s post office has been open since 1791. Five other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Wells
1791–today
Wells Depot
1844–1921
Wells Branch
1874–1908
Berwick Branch
1885–1912
Elms
1890–1908
Moody
1897–today
Highpine
1921–1954
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bald Hill CrossingBuffum HillCharles Chase CornerCozy CornersDrakes IslandElmsGrays CornerHighpineHobbs CrossingLower LandingMoodyMoody BeachMoody PointParsonage CornerPerkins TownSaywards CornerTatnicUpper LandingWells BeachWells Beach StationWells Branch
Gone or out of use
Laudholm FarmlocaleMerriland Ridge ChurchchurchWells SchoolschoolWells School Number SevenschoolWells School Number SixschoolWells School Number TenschoolWells School Number Twelveschool
11cemeteries and burying grounds inside Wells
Bald HillBaston LotClayElm BrookKimball - Williams - JacksonLittlefieldLittlefield LotOcean ViewUnnamedWells Branch Baptist ChurchWells Branch

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

On the National Register

19 historic places in Wells

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
19
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
30
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Austin-Hennessey Homestead
Austin-Hennessey HomesteadDorfield FarmEarly Post OfficeEaton HouseEmery HouseHatch HouseLittlefield HomesteadLittlefield TavernLittlefield-Chase FarmsteadLittlefield-Dustin FarmLittlefield-Keeping HouseLord FarmMill HouseWells HomesteadLaudholm Farm, built 1984First Congregational Church, FormerDivision No. 9 SchoolLibby's Colonial Tea RoomWells Baptist Church Parsonage
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

18th Century Cape15
Greek Revival1
Gothic1
Romanesque1
One Room Maine School1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Austin-Hennessey Homestead18th Century Cape
Dorfield Farm18th Century Cape
Early Post Office18th Century Cape
Eaton House18th Century Cape
Emery House18th Century Cape
Hatch House18th Century Cape
Littlefield Homestead18th Century Cape
Littlefield Tavern18th Century Cape
All 19 listings
Littlefield-Chase FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1979Littlefield-Dustin FarmBuilding · listed 1979Littlefield-Keeping HouseBuilding · listed 1979Lord FarmBuilding · listed 1979Mill HouseBuilding · listed 1979Wells HomesteadBuilding · listed 1979Laudholm FarmBuilding · listed 1983First Congregational Church, FormerBuilding · listed 1991Division No. 9 SchoolBuilding · listed 1995Libby's Colonial Tea RoomBuilding · listed 2001Wells Baptist Church ParsonageBuilding · listed 1979

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Wells came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wells.

Read it all →

Edmund Littlefield, an immigrant from the wool regions of Titchfield, England, built the first gristmill and later a woolen mill on the Webhannet River, becoming known as "The Father of Wells," where a monument commemorates his contribution. In 1622, the Plymouth Company in England awarded to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Lord Proprietor of Maine, territory which included the Plantation of Wells. His young cousin, Thomas Gorges, acting as deputy and agent, in 1641 granted to Rev. John Wheelwright and other settlers from Exeter, New Hampshire the right to populate the land from northeast of the Ogunquit River to southwest of the Kennebunk River. Following the death of the elder Gorges in 1647, the Massachusetts Bay Colony laid claim to Maine. On July 5, 1653, Wells was incorporated, the third town in Maine to do so, and named after Wells, England, a small cathedral city in the county of Somerse…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Wells, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1810s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1810s1 item
1810 WellsSocialLibrary Kennebunk Maine WeeklyVisitor Feb318101810 WellsSocialLibrary Kennebunk Maine WeeklyVisitor…Document
1900s–1910s6 items
Wells High School Wells Maine 1903 Postcard1903Wells High School Wells Maine 1903 PostcardPostcardHotel Winona & Wells Beach, ME1908Hotel Winona & Wells Beach, MEPostcardRailroad Station, Wells Beach, ME1910Railroad Station, Wells Beach, MEPostcardWells Maine Town Hall 1911 Postcard1911Wells Maine Town Hall 1911 PostcardPostcardStorer Tabletc. 1915Storer TabletPostcardBoat Landing, Wells Beach, ME1916Boat Landing, Wells Beach, MEPostcard
1920s–1930s11 items
Bridge Over Webhannet River, Wells Beach, ME1920Bridge Over Webhannet River, Wells Beach, MEPostcardWells Maine Town Hall 19221922Wells Maine Town Hall 1922PostcardBathing beach and ledge, front of casino, Wells Beach, Maine (66124)c. 1930Bathing beach and ledge, front of casino, Wells Beach…PostcardCottages along the beach, south of casino, Wells Beach, Maine (66126)c. 1930Cottages along the beach, south of casino, Wells Beac…PostcardCottages along the shore, Wells Beach, Maine (66128)c. 1930Cottages along the shore, Wells Beach, Maine (66128)PostcardCottages along the waterfront, Wells Beach, Maine (79420)c. 1930Cottages along the waterfront, Wells Beach, Maine (79…PostcardCottages and bathing beach, looking east from casino, Wells Beach, Maine (66127)c. 1930Cottages and bathing beach, looking east from casino,…PostcardEntrance to Wells Beach, Maine (73045)c. 1930Entrance to Wells Beach, Maine (73045)PostcardGreetings from Wells Beach, Maine (66129)c. 1930Greetings from Wells Beach, Maine (66129)PostcardMain Street, Wells Beach, Me (73043)c. 1930Main Street, Wells Beach, Me (73043)PostcardOff the rocks, Wells Beach, Webhannet, Maine (66123)c. 1930Off the rocks, Wells Beach, Webhannet, Maine (66123)Postcard
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
On the map

Wells on the map, 1891 to 1973

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

Wells on the 1891 USGS mapWells on the 1944 USGS mapWells on the 1956 USGS mapWells on the 1973 USGS map1891Kennebunk 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 Wells.

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.

Wells High School Wells Maine 1903 Postcard
Retake this viewWells High School Wells Maine 1903 Postcard, 1903

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Wells’ page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Wells, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,000180018501900195020004,489 in 1810Low: 1,908

Lost half of its people between 1810 and 1910, then grew 5-fold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Wells

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Daniel W. GoochAmerican politician · b. 1820
J
John Fairfield ScammanAmerican politician · b. 1786
Nathaniel LittlefieldAmerican politician · b. 1804
Esther WheelwrightUrsuline nun · b. 1696
John StorerAmerican merchant · b. 1796
Guy TrippAmerican business executive and U.S. Army gener… · b. 1864
Help out

Finish Wells’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewWells High School Wells Maine 1903 Post…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Kennebunk7 historic placesA+Ogunquit8 historic placesANorth Berwick6 historic placesA−South Berwick7 historic placesA+

Questions about Wells’ history

What year was Wells founded?

In 1643, according to Wikidata. Wells’ post office opened in 1791, and the first U.S. census counted 3,070 people here in 1790.

How does Wells rank for history?

Wells is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #71 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 Wells?

19 listings: 19 buildings, among them the Austin-Hennessey Homestead (listed 1979, the first). 30 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Wells?

8% of Wells’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1989.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), the National Register of Historic Places (19), 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.