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A−History
History · Allenstown

Allenstown’s post office opened in 1828, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #59 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 10 buildings. Below: maps from 1921 on and the census since 1790.

1828first post office
3on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Allenstown began

When was Allenstown founded?

1828

The Allenstown post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1831.

First census: 254 in 17902020 census: 4,707198 years

How historic is Allenstown?

A−

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Allenstown post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1831.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Allenstown’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Allenstown is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #59 of 126 in New Hampshire. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Allenstown’s overall grade.
Founding era1828, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194018.4% of homes (±6.9) · typical NH town 17.5% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register3 listings, 12 historic buildings, 25.3 per 10,000 residents · typical NH town 9.5 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 84%
NewerOlder
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 54%

New Hampshire towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Hampshire town has 9.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Allenstown’s 25.3 sits above most of its state (68% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 12 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1831 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

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 Allenstown’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 Allenstown are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19215 editions of the USGS map, 1921 to 1985. Watch Allenstown change.Deep rootsA post office since 1828: 198 years of Allenstown.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Allenstown’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Allenstown on the map, 1921 to 1985

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

Allenstown on the 1921 USGS mapAllenstown on the 1944 USGS mapAllenstown on the 1957 USGS mapAllenstown on the 1967 USGS mapAllenstown on the 1985 USGS map1921Suncook 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 Allenstown.

Timeline

Allenstown, 1820 to 1921

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1820Born hereAlonzo Hathaway Evans is born here
  3. 1828Post officeThe Allenstown post office opens
  4. 1860BuiltPembroke Mill is built
  5. 20th century
  6. 1903Post officeThe Allenstown post office closes
  7. 1921On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Allenstown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Allenstown.

Read it all →

Allenstown takes its name from 17th-century provincial governor Samuel Allen. It was granted in 1721 but not incorporated until July 2, 1831. A part of neighboring Bow was annexed to Allenstown in 1815, and a portion of Hooksett was annexed in 1853.

Most of the town's earliest settlement occurred in the eastern part of town along Deerfield Road, around the area now mostly occupied by Bear Brook State Park, and where the Old Allenstown Meeting House is located. Following the Civil War, the town's population shifted from the east to the west part of town, centered around the confluence of the Merrimack and Suncook rivers, in the area now known as Suncook.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Allenstown, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Letting Go2014Letting GoBearbrook Murders - Allenstown Four2014Bearbrook Murders - Allenstown FourAllenstownNH Meetinghouse2013AllenstownNH MeetinghouseAllenstown Meeting House2013Allenstown Meeting HouseFEMA - 29441 - A home surrounded by flood water taken on 04-19-2007 in New Hampshire2007FEMA - 29441 - A home surrounded by flood water taken…
On the National Register

3 listings protect 12 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
12
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Pembroke Mill
Pembroke Mill, built 1860Bear Brook State Park Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Historic DistrictAllenstown Meeting House
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Renaissance Revival1
Early Republic1
Federal1
Pembroke MillRenaissance Revival · Built 1860
Bear Brook State Park Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Historic DistrictDistrict
Allenstown Meeting HouseEarly Republic

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

People over time

Allenstown, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,00018001850190019502000Peak: 4,843

Between 254 and 4,843 people in every census since 1790.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Allenstown had its own post office from 1828 to 1903.

Allenstown
1828–1903
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Allenstown Elementary School
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Allenstown
EvansSaint Jean Baptiste

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.

Pembroke2 historic placesA+Suncook3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHooksett1 historic placeB−Deerfield3 historic placesAEpsom1 historic placeA−

Questions about Allenstown’s history

What year was Allenstown founded?

The Allenstown post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1831.

How does Allenstown rank for history?

Allenstown is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #59 of 126 in New Hampshire. 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 Allenstown?

Three places: the Pembroke Mill (listed 1985), the Bear Brook State Park Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Historic District (1992) and the Allenstown Meeting House (2004).

How old are the homes in Allenstown?

18% of Allenstown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1981.

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 (5), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.