Barrington dates to 1722, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 63% of U.S. towns · #95 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Most of Barrington was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Its Register listing is the Canaan Chapel. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1917 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1818.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Barrington’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Barrington is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #95 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 Barrington’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 Barrington’s 2.1 sits below most of its state (24% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1722.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Barrington’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Barrington was incorporated in 1722 and named for Samuel Shute of Barrington Hall, colonial governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. His brother was John Shute Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington.
The town was made up of two grants, the first containing all of Strafford and present-day Barrington except for a parcel two miles (3.2 km) wide called New Portsmouth, or the Two Mile Streak. This second grant had been set aside to provide fuel and home sites for imported workers at the Lamprey River Iron Works, chartered in 1719 by the Massachusetts General Court to encourage industrial development in the province.
Passages that mention Barrington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Strafford County, New Hampshire1914 · page 377Read the page →
Read the text
It appears from these petitions that the first settlements in Barrington were made in the Two-mile Streak, between 1732 and 1740. The Lamprev River Iron \\'orks proprietors did not settle any of their workmen there, as they did not manufacture any iron or have any workmen to settle in their "Xew Portsmouth." The north boundary line of the "Streak" runs parallel with the Dover, Mudbury and Lee headlines and two miles from it. This line crosses the carriage road north of Green Hill near where the Xasluia and Rochester railroad bridge is; it is one quarter of a mile north of the Con-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Strafford County, New Hampshire1914 · page 295Read the page →
Read the text
their escape before the Indians attacked and burned the garrison. By the way, this Edward Leathers, who seems to have been a very respectable and worthy citizen, as were many of his descendants, was the ancestor of the noted dwellers in the famous Leathers City of Barrington, whose fame was great both far and near, but the city in Barrington is now but a quiet neighborhood.
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
Barrington, 1722 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1722, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Barrington’s post office opened in 1818, and the first U.S. census counted 2,470 people here in 1790.
How does Barrington rank for history?
Barrington is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #95 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 Barrington?
One place: the Canaan Chapel (listed 1982).
How old are the homes in Barrington?
6% of Barrington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1987.
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 (6), 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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