Hollis’ post office opened in 1818, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #53 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 89 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1944 on, and the census since 1790.
The Hollis post office opened in 1818, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Hollis Depot (1890), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,441 in 17902020 census: 8,342208 years
How historic is Hollis?
A
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Hollis post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hollis’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hollis is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #53 of 126 in New Hampshire. 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 Hollis’ 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 Hollis’ 107 sits above most of its state (85% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 92 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% 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 (±6.2 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 Hollis’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
According to Samuel T. Worcester's history which was commissioned by the town selectmen in 1878, the town was incorporated in the province of New Hampshire on April 3, 1746, "to have continence forever by the name of Holles..."
Worcester argues that, at the time of the charter, Governor Benning Wentworth was indebted to Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, for his appointment as governor. According to Worcester, it was "very much the custom with Gov. Wentworth" to name towns in honor of his friends and patrons. Thus in the same year, the towns of Pelham and Holles were incorporated, and named after the duke. Worcester cites a Mr. Bancroft who,
Passages that mention Hollis, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the town of Hollis, New Hampshire, from its first settlement to the year 18791879 · page 81Read the page →
Read the text
1746 to 1763.] SECOND BORDER CONTROVERSY. 81 south-east part of Hollis, near the place in the Hollis Records at first called "Lawrence's Mills," afterwards " Jaquith's," and in our times known as " RunnelFs Mills." A bridge at this place was very necessary to the people of Hollis, being on their main road to market ; but much less needed by Dunstable. So indispensable was this bridge to Hollis, that in 1740, as we have seen, provision was made for building it out of the " non-resident tax of 3d. per acre"
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the town of Hollis, New Hampshire, from its first settlement to the year 18791879Read the page →
Read the text
The number of names on the first Tax List in the town of Hollis in 1746 was but 53, — 24 less than in West Dunstable the year before— a part of this last number living on the east side of West Dunstable having been set off by the acts of incorporation to the new town of Dunstable, and the rest of them on the north side to the town of Monson.
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
Hollis, 1758 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Hollis post office opened in 1818, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hollis rank for history?
Hollis is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #53 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 Hollis?
Three places: the Meetinghouse, The (listed 1982), the Hollis Village Historic District (2001) and the Nichols, Marion, Summer Home (2003).
How old are the homes in Hollis?
14% of Hollis’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
![1746 to 1763.] SECOND BORDER CONTROVERSY. 81 south-east part of Hollis, near the place in the Hollis Records at first called "Lawrence's Mills," afterwards " Jaquith's," and in our times known as " RunnelFs Mills." A bridge at this place was very necessary to the people of Hollis, being on their ma…](https://images.townratings.com/story/27739/bk-e70977a1304fbfe7-l.jpg)
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