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B−History
History · Windham

12% of Windham’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 53% of U.S. towns · #124 of 143 in Maine. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 7 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1790.

5on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

About Windham’s history

How historic is Windham?

B−

More historic than 53% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Windham’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Windham is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #124 of 143 in Maine. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Windham’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194011.7% of homes (±3.1) · typical ME town 19.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register5 listings, 9 historic buildings, 4.7 per 10,000 residents · typical ME town 15.9 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 53%
NewerOlder
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 13%

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 Windham’s 4.7 sits below most of its state (28% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 9 historic buildings outnumber those of 75% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points).

Founding year: our sources. 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 Windham’s past

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

Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Windham, and 15 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18944 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1970. Watch Windham change.A town of family graveyards26 cemeteries and burying grounds inside Windham.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

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

Windham had its own post office from 1800 to 1872. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Windham
1800–1872
South Windham
1828–1985
North Windham
1833–1985
Windham Center
1872–1906
Newhall
1893–1906
Windham
1985–today
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Baker CornerDolley CornerFosters CornerGates HillGlantz CornerGreat FallsIreland CornerLowells CornerNewhallNorth WindhamPopevilleScotlandSouth WindhamWindham CenterWindham Hill
Gone or out of use
East Windham Fire DepartmentbuildingFriends SchoolschoolHill SchoolschoolKnight Schoolschool
26family graveyards and cemeteries inside Windham
ArlingtonAustinBrownChaseChuteCraig RoadDolleyElderFranklin StevensFriendsFriendsGoddGoudreau FamilyHansonKnightKnight Cemetery 2LoveittMayberryMcIntoshMorrellMugford FamilyOld AndersonPurintonSmith - AndersonSmithWindham Hill
See all 26

Arlington Cemetery · Austin Cemetery · Brown Cemetery · Chase Cemetery · Chute Cemetery · Craig Road Burying Ground · Dolley Cemetery · Elder Cemetery · Franklin Stevens Cemetery · Friends Cemetery · Friends Cemetery · Godd Cemetery · Goudreau Family Burying Ground · Hanson Burial Ground · Knight Cemetery · Knight Cemetery 2 · Loveitt Cemetery · Mayberry Cemetery · McIntosh Cemetery · Morrell Cemetery · Mugford Family Cemetery · Old Anderson Cemetery · Purinton Cemetery · Smith - Anderson Cemetery · Smith Cemetery · Windham Hill Cemetery

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

Help out

Start Windham’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Windham on the map, 1894 to 1970

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

Windham on the 1894 USGS mapWindham on the 1942 USGS mapWindham on the 1957 USGS mapWindham on the 1970 USGS map1894Gray 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 Windham.

The story

How Windham came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Windham.

Read it all →

The township was granted in 1734 by the Massachusetts General Court to Abraham Howard, Joseph Blaney and 58 others from Marblehead, Massachusetts. In 1737, New Marblehead Plantation was settled by Captain Thomas Chute. By order of the Massachusetts General Court, a fort was built in spring of 1744 on a hill in the southern part of town near the early center of settlement to offer protection during King George's War. A 50-foot square blockhouse, constructed of 12-inch thick hewn hemlock had an overhanging second story, with firing ports and two swivel guns in watch posts on diagonal corners. The blockhouse was surrounded by a stockade wall of 12-inch diameter log posts 16 feet long. The single gate through the stockade wall was covered by a 4.2-inch (11 cm) bore 9-pounder cannon within the blockhouse.

ChaptersCanalRailroadHighway

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Windham, 1764 to 1985

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1764BuiltParson Smith House is built
  3. 1792Born hereJohn Anderson is born here
  4. 19th century
  5. 1800Post officeThe Windham post office opens
  6. 1818Born hereJohn Albion Andrew is born here
  7. 1828Post officeThe South Windham post office opens
  8. 1832BuiltCumberland and Oxford Canal is built
  9. 1833Post officeThe North Windham post office opens
  10. 1838Born hereAbba Goold Woolson is born here
  11. 1872Post officeThe Windham post office closes
  12. 1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 20th century
  14. 1921Born hereJeff Donnell is born here
  15. 1985Post officeThe South Windham post office closes
  16. 1985Post officeThe North Windham post office closes
By decade

Windham, decade by decade

Date unknown2 to date
A historical address, delivered on the fourth of July, 1839, at the centennial anniversary, of the settlement of Windha…Date?A historical address, delivered on the fourth of July…BookWindham, Maine in the war of the revolution, 1775-1783Date?Windham, Maine in the war of the revolution, 1775-1783Book
Today14 recent
WindhamME GooldHouse2018WindhamME GooldHouseWindhamME ParsonSmithHouse2014WindhamME ParsonSmithHouseWindhamME MaplewoodFarm2014WindhamME MaplewoodFarmWindhamME MaplewoodFarm 22014WindhamME MaplewoodFarm 2Windham, ME 04062, USA2009Windham, ME 04062, USAWindham, ME 04062, USA - panoramio (1)2009Windham, ME 04062, USA - panoramio (1)panoramio (4227)2009panoramio (4227)panoramio (4225)2009panoramio (4225)panoramio (4208)2009panoramio (4208)panoramio (4205)2009panoramio (4205)panoramio (4202)2009panoramio (4202)panoramio (4164)2009panoramio (4164)panoramio (4144)2009panoramio (4144)panoramio (4138)2009panoramio (4138)
On the National Register

5 historic places in Windham

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
9
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Parson Smith House
Parson Smith House, built 1764Cumberland and Oxford Canal, built 1832Goold HouseMaplewood FarmGreat Falls Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival2
Colonial1
Georgian1
Gothic Revival1
Federal1
Parson Smith HouseColonial · Built 1764
Cumberland and Oxford CanalBuilt 1832
Goold HouseGreek Revival
Maplewood FarmGeorgian
Great Falls Historic DistrictFederal

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

People over time

Windham, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,0001800185019001950200018,434

Grew from 938 people in 1790 to 18,434 in 2020, more than tenfold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Windham

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

See all →
John Albion AndrewMassachusetts governor during the Civil War · b. 1818
Jeff DonnellAmerican actress · b. 1921
John Anderson19th-century American politician from Maine · b. 1792
Abba Goold WoolsonAmerican writer · b. 1838
H
Howard HawkesCollege football coach · b. 1894
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Gorham9 historic placesAStandish6 historic placesANorth Windham1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLittle FallsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSouth Windham1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGray4 historic placesB+Westbrook8 historic placesAFalmouth8 historic placesBRaymond2 historic placesA−Cumberland2 historic placesB

Questions about Windham’s history

How does Windham rank for history?

Windham is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #124 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 Windham?

5 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Parson Smith House (listed 1973, the first), 2 historic districts, the Maplewood Farm and the Great Falls Historic District, with 7 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 9 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Windham?

12% of Windham’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1985.

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 (16), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.