Atkinson dates to 1767, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #108 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Most of Atkinson was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Its Register listing is the Atkinson Academy School. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1935 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1806.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Atkinson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Atkinson is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #108 of 126 in New Hampshire. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Atkinson’s overall grade.
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 Atkinson’s 1.4 sits below most of its state (21% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points). Two sources give 1767.
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 Atkinson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Atkinson's history dates back to the American Revolution. The community was incorporated September 3, 1767, and was named after Colonel Theodore Atkinson, a local landowner.
Atkinson Academy, the second-oldest co-educational school in the country, was founded as a boys' school in 1787 by Reverend Stephen Peabody, General Nathaniel Peabody and Doctor William Cogswell; it began admitting girls in 1791. The school building burned to the ground in 1802, and was rebuilt in 1803 at a cost of $2,500. That building remains a part of the academy, which has since been expanded, with only four classrooms.
Passages that mention Atkinson, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire1915 · page 216Read the page →
Read the text
The first four academies of New Hampshire were Phillips, at Exeter, incorporated 1781: New Ipswich, incorporated 1789; Chesterfield, incorporated 1790: and Atkinson, incorporated February 17, 1791. As the one at Atkinson, however, went into operation several years before its incorporation, it is really the second in the state in point of age. The origin of the academy is due mainly to the efforts of three men. — Hon. Dr. and Gen.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire1915 · page 215Read the page →
Read the text
A Unk'crsalist Society was incorporated June 18, 18 r8. by the name of the Universalist Society of Atkinson and Hampstead. The old society was given up, and the present one formed in 1839, and is known by the name of the Atkinson Universalist Society. The society erected a meeting-house in 1842.
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
Atkinson, 1764 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1767, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Atkinson’s post office opened in 1806, and the first U.S. census counted 479 people here in 1790.
How does Atkinson rank for history?
Atkinson is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #108 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 Atkinson?
One place: the Atkinson Academy School (listed 1980).
How old are the homes in Atkinson?
5% of Atkinson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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