4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 16 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1801.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Francestown’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Francestown is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns. 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 Francestown’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 Francestown’s 129 sits above most of its state (88% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 18 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1772.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.0 points).
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 Francestown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Incorporated in 1772, Francestown takes its name from Frances Deering Wentworth, the wife of colonial governor John Wentworth. There were 928 residents when the first census was taken in 1790. For some time the town used its location on the Second New Hampshire Turnpike, the only route between Boston and Vermont, to collect a toll of one cent per mile from coaches and wagons. High-quality soapstone was mined in Francestown from 1792 to 1912.
Passages that mention Francestown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire1885 · page 308Read the page →
Read the text
This petition was successful after the due formalities, and this tract was incorporated as the town of Francestown June 8, 1772. It received its name from Frances, the wife of Governor Wentworth, and was written " Frances' Town" in the old records.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire1885 · page 364Read the page →
Read the text
the two east ranges of lots of land in Greenfield, in that portion which, previous to the incorporation of the town, was known as Lyndeborough Addition, were annexed to Francestown. July 4, 1872, another portion of this town was annexed to Francestown. A portion of the territory now comprised in Greenfield was settled, in 1771, by Captain Alexander Parker, .Major A. Whittemore, Simeon Fletcher and others.
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
Francestown, 1772 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1772, according to Wikidata. Francestown’s post office opened in 1801, and the first U.S. census counted 982 people here in 1790.
How does Francestown rank for history?
Francestown is more historic than 96% 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 Francestown?
4 listings: 2 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Old County Road South Historic District and the Francestown Town Hall and Academy and Town Common Historic District, with 16 contributing buildings. 18 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Francestown?
23% of Francestown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.0 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (14), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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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