Winterport’s post office opened in 1860, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #90 of 143 in Maine. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 143 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1860.
How Winterport began, and where its name came from
When was Winterport founded?
1860
The Winterport post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, Ellingwood's Corner (1849), North Winterport (1860) and West Winterport (1861), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,318 in 18602020 census: 3,817166 years
How did Winterport get its name?
Winterport was named Winterport because of its fine harbor on the Penobscot River estuary, which generally remained ice free, and so became a busy local terminus for trade and shipping during winter months.
How historic is Winterport?
A−
More historic than 76% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Winterport is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #90 of 143 in Maine. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Winterport’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 Winterport’s 374 sits above most of its state (98% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 144 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 B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Winterport’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
First settled in 1766 as part of Frankfort, it was set off and incorporated on March 12, 1860. It was named Winterport because of its fine harbor on the Penobscot River estuary, which generally remained ice free, and so became a busy local terminus for trade and shipping during winter months. When the upper Penobscot River froze, commodities like flour were hauled in large quantities from here to Bangor.
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 Winterport. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1900Bucksport 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 Winterport.
Every building
Winterport, building by building, 1895–1911
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.
The Winterport post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Winterport rank for history?
Winterport is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #90 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 Winterport?
Two places: the Winterport Historic District (listed 1975) and the Winterport Congregational Church (1973).
How old are the homes in Winterport?
17% of Winterport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (5), the Library of Congress (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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
c. 1868
2013
2013
