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A−History
History · Center Harbor

15% of Center Harbor’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns. What drives it

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 10 buildings. Below: 19 old photos and papers, maps from 1909 on, and the census since 1800.

1on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
19old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Center Harbor’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Center Harbor’s history

How historic is Center Harbor?

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More historic than 82% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Center Harbor’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Center Harbor is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Center Harbor’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194014.9% of homes (±4.8) · typical NH town 17.5% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register1 listing, 10 historic buildings, 105 per 10,000 residents · typical NH town 9.5 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 82%
NewerOlder

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 Center Harbor’s 105 sits above most of its state (84% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.8 points).

Founding year: our sources. 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 Center Harbor’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1840 and 1940, then more than doubled.A town in postcards19 old photos, postcards and papers, 1850–1910.On the map since 19094 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1998. Watch Center Harbor change.Mystery photos8 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.
★ What stands out · People over time

Center Harbor, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018001850190019502000584 in 1840Low: 355

Lost a third of its people between 1840 and 1940, then more than doubled.

23 censuses, 1800–2020.

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

By decade

Center Harbor, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s2 items
Dudley Leavittlabel QS:Len,"Dudley Leavitt"1850Dudley Leavittlabel QS:Len,"Dudley Leavitt"Center Harbor and Lake WINNIPISEOGEE1856Center Harbor and Lake WINNIPISEOGEE
1890s–1900s7 items
From Gamut Hill, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnipesaukee, N. H1898From Gamut Hill, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnipesaukee, N…PostcardGlimpse of Center Harbor, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnipesaukee, N. H1898Glimpse of Center Harbor, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnipe…PostcardLake Shore, Centre Harbor, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnipesaukee, N. H1898Lake Shore, Centre Harbor, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnip…PostcardPlymouth Street, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnipesaukee, N. H1898Plymouth Street, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnipesaukee, N…PostcardVillefranche. -Baie de Villefranche (NBY 441007)1903Villefranche. -Baie de Villefranche (NBY 441007)Bird's-eye View ofc. 1905Bird's-eye View ofPostcardLake and Colonial Hotel, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnipesaukee, N. H1906Lake and Colonial Hotel, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnipes…Postcard
1910s2 items
The Colonialc. 1910The ColonialPostcardThe Moulton Housec. 1910The Moulton HousePostcard
1920s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Date unknown8 to date
Centre Harbor from Gamut Hill (NBY 1533)Date?Centre Harbor from Gamut Hill (NBY 1533)PostcardColonial Hotel, Centre Harbor (NBY 2824)Date?Colonial Hotel, Centre Harbor (NBY 2824)PostcardLake Winnipesaukee NH from Colonial Hotel, Centre Harbor (NBY 5898)Date?Lake Winnipesaukee NH from Colonial Hotel, Centre Har…PostcardLandingDate?LandingPostcardMeredith Road, Centre Harbor (NBY 2796)Date?Meredith Road, Centre Harbor (NBY 2796)PostcardMeredith Road, Centre Harbor (NBY 3046)Date?Meredith Road, Centre Harbor (NBY 3046)PostcardPlymouth Street, Centre Harbor (NBY 9187)Date?Plymouth Street, Centre Harbor (NBY 9187)PostcardSquareDate?SquarePostcard
Today4 recent
CenterHarborNH TownHall2016CenterHarborNH TownHallCenterHarborNH HistoricalSociety2016CenterHarborNH HistoricalSocietyCenterHarborNH CongregationalChurch2016CenterHarborNH CongregationalChurchR6E Nichols Mem Library2007R6E Nichols Mem Library
On the map

Center Harbor on the map, 1909 to 1998

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

Center Harbor on the 1909 USGS mapCenter Harbor on the 1956 USGS mapCenter Harbor on the 1987 USGS mapCenter Harbor on the 1998 USGS map1909Winnipesaukee 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 Center Harbor.

The story

How Center Harbor came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Center Harbor.

Read it all →

Center Harbor separated from the town of New Hampton and was first incorporated in 1797. The town name is derived from two sources: its location, centered between Meredith and Moultonborough harbors, as well as from the Senter family, who were owners of a large amount of property in the area. The town was a landing place for lake steamers and stagecoaches, making it a popular summer resort. Center Harbor was a favorite spot of John Greenleaf Whittier, and the home of Dudley Leavitt, author of the first Farmers' Almanac in 1797. Center Harbor is the winter home of the paddle steamer MS Mount Washington, the largest boat on Lake Winnipesaukee.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Center Harbor, 1796 to 2010

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1796Post officeThe Center Harbor post office opens
  3. 19th century
  4. 1800BuiltCentre Harbor Village Historic District is built
  5. 1829Born hereSamuel Chamberlain is born here
  6. 1850In the archiveDudley Leavittlabel QS:Len,"Dudley Leavitt"
  7. 1891Born hereMaud Worcester Makemson is born here
  8. 1895Born herePhoebe Foster is born here
  9. 1898In the archiveFrom Gamut Hill, Centre Harbor, Lake Winnipesaukee, N. H
  10. 20th century
  11. 1903In the archiveVillefranche. -Baie de Villefranche (NBY 441007)
  12. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1910In the archiveThe Colonial
  14. 1962Born hereBrad Leighton is born here
  15. 21st century
  16. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 1,096
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Dudley Leavittlabel QS:Len,"Dudley Leavitt"
Retake this viewDudley Leavittlabel QS:Len,"Dudley Leavitt", 1850

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Center Harbor’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 listing protects 10 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
10
each building in a district counts
first listed
1983
Centre Harbor Village Historic District
Centre Harbor Village Historic District, built 1800
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Classical1
Greek Revival1
Victorian1
Centre Harbor Village Historic DistrictClassical · Built 1800

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Center Harbor

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Phoebe FosterAmerican actress · b. 1895
M
Maud Worcester MakemsonAmerican astronomer · b. 1891
Samuel ChamberlainAmerican soldier, painter, and author · b. 1829
B
Brad LeightonAmerican race car driver · b. 1962
Places that used to be

Old corners

Center Harbor’s post office has been open since 1796.

Hamlets and corners on the map
West Center Harbor

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Center Harbor’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo8 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewDudley Leavittlabel QS:Len,"Dudley Leav…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

New Hampton5 historic placesB+Meredith2 historic placesA−Holderness11 historic placesA+Moultonborough6 historic placesB+

Questions about Center Harbor’s history

How does Center Harbor rank for history?

Center Harbor is more historic than 82% 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 Center Harbor?

One place: the Centre Harbor Village Historic District (listed 1983).

How old are the homes in Center Harbor?

15% of Center Harbor’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1982.

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 (23), 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) 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.