2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Canterbury Shaker Village, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 24 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers from 1906 on and old-book passages.
The Canterbury post office opened in 1805, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Shaker Village (1827), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,389221 years
How historic is Canterbury?
A−
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Canterbury post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Canterbury’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Canterbury is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Canterbury’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 Canterbury’s 110 sits above most of its state (86% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 26 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% 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 (±5.1 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 Canterbury’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
First granted by Lieutenant Governor John Wentworth in 1727, the town was named for William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury. It was originally a militia timber fort and trading post of Capt. Jeremiah Clough located on a hill near Canterbury Center, where the Pennacook people came to trade. The town would be incorporated in 1741. There were several garrison houses or stockades in the area as late as 1758.
Passages that mention Canterbury, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the Town of Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1727-19121912 · page 82Read the page →
Read the text
land in the form of a gore, which until lately was deemed a part of the town of Canterbury in said province and lays between that and Bow that your petitioners are very anxious to be annexed to the town of Canterbury rather than Bow as they are within two miles of Canterbury meeting house and are distant six miles from that of Bow, and also they have several family connections in Canterbury.* The prayer of the petitioners was granted January 23, 1765, and they were given
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the Town of Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1727-19121912 · page 84Read the page →
Read the text
The action of the Legislature in 1784 referred to by Amos Hadley arose from a petition of citizens of Canterbury and Loudon. In their petition dated June 10, 1783, they say that " Your petitioners live upon a gore of land formerly claimed by the proprietors of Rumf ord and Canterbury, that when Rumf ord was incorporated in the year 1765 by the name of Concord, your petitioners were left to said Canterbury, since which time said proprietors of Rumford and Canterbury have amicably settled
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
Canterbury, 1805 to 1993
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.
The Canterbury post office opened in 1805, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Canterbury rank for history?
Canterbury is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns. 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 Canterbury?
Two places: the Canterbury Shaker Village (listed 1975) and the Northfield Union Church (1984).
How old are the homes in Canterbury?
14% of Canterbury’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 (4), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
★ Landmark
2017
2016
2009