Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1800.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Grafton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Grafton is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Grafton’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 Grafton’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (8% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
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 (±7.2 points). Two sources give 1778.
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 Grafton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally granted in 1761, and re-granted in 1769, Grafton, like its county, takes its name from Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, a relative of colonial governor Benning Wentworth. Grafton was incorporated in 1778.
Historically, Grafton's economic base consisted of subsistence farming, small-scale industry, and mining. Several mica mines and granite quarries once dotted the town's landscape, most notably Ruggles Mine.
Passages that mention Grafton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire ..1897Read the page →
Read the text
Eleazer Barney was born in the town of Grafton, Grafton Co., and early in life entered into the mercantile life of the town of Grafton, where he conducted a store; but after a short period there, he came to Canaan and bought out Currier & Wallace, and for a number of years carried on a large general store where the Cardigan Hotel is now located. When he at last disposed of his
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire ..1897Read the page →
Read the text
In March, 1858, his employment was changed to that of laying tracks, continuing for three years. He then took charge of the section through Grafton town as section boss, remaining there three years, and was then station agent at Grafton three more years, and from then until 1888 was station agent at Canaan, making twenty-eight years service altogether in the em-
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
Grafton, 1778 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 1778, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Grafton’s post office opened in 1800, and the first U.S. census counted 403 people here in 1790.
How does Grafton rank for history?
Grafton is more historic than 65% 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.
How old are the homes in Grafton?
30% of Grafton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1983.
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), 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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