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AHistory
History · Lisbon

Lisbon dates to 1763, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Its Register listing is the Lisbon Inn. Below: 31 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1830.

1763founded
1on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
31old photos & papers
9famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lisbon’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lisbon began

When was Lisbon founded?

1763

Lisbon dates its founding to 1763 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1830.

First census: 1,485 in 18302020 census: 1,621263 years

How historic is Lisbon?

A

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1815.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Lisbon’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lisbon is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lisbon’s overall grade.
Founding era1763, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194043.5% of homes (±12.0) · typical NH town 17.5% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register1 listing, 6.3 per 10,000 residents · typical NH town 9.5 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 92%
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 Lisbon’s 6.3 sits near the middle of its state (39% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1763.
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 (±12.0 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 Lisbon’s past

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

A town in old photos31 old photos, postcards and papers, 1910–1984.Boom and bustPeaked at 2,460 in 1910; 1,621 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1889 to 1922, drew every building in Lisbon.Older than the countryEstablished in 1763, 13 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · By decade

Lisbon, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1930s20 items
Main Street inc. 1910Main Street inFarmer1939FarmerSheep on farm1939Sheep on farmFarmer going into dinner1939Farmer going into dinnerUntitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: FarmerUntitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: FarmerTown selectman taking inventory on farm1939Town selectman taking inventory on farmUntitled photo, possibly related to: Sheep on farm1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Sheep on farmFarmer and town selectman who is taking spring inventory1939Farmer and town selectman who is taking spring invent…Logs for winter fuel on Mr. Dickinson's farm1939Logs for winter fuel on Mr. Dickinson's farmFarmer's wife cleaning brush on front porch of their home1939Farmer's wife cleaning brush on front porch of their …Farmer going into dinner. Franconia, New Hampshire1939Farmer going into dinner. Franconia, New HampshireUntitled photo, possibly related to: Town selectman taking inventory on farm1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Town selectman t…Hired hand on Mr. Dickinson's farm, splitting logs for winter fuel. Lisbon, near Franconia, New Hampshire1939Hired hand on Mr. Dickinson's farm, splitting logs fo…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer and town selectman who is taking spring inventory1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer and town …Untitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer and town selectman who is taking spring inventory1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer and town …Untitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer and town selectman who is taking spring inventory1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer and town …Untitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer's wife cleaning brush on front porch of their home1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer's wife cl…Hired hand on Mr. Dickinson's farm1939Hired hand on Mr. Dickinson's farmUntitled photo, possibly related to: Hired hand on Mr. Dickinson's farm, splitting logs for winter fuel. Lisbon, near F…1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Hired hand on Mr…
1940s10 items
Farmer near Lisbon, New Hampshire, sorting beans for spring planting on rainy day1940Farmer near Lisbon, New Hampshire, sorting beans for …Mr. Dickerson carrying sack of feed into shed on his farm. Lisbon, near Franconia, New Hampshire1940Mr. Dickerson carrying sack of feed into shed on his …Mr. Dickinson, farmer, carrying sack of cow feed into shed on his farm. Lisbon, near Franconia, New Hampshire1940Mr. Dickinson, farmer, carrying sack of cow feed into…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Mr. Dickerson carrying sack of feed into shed on his farm. Lisbon, near Franconia,…1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Mr. Dickerson ca…Mr. Dickinson, farmer and his ski tow, which he installed on his property three years ago, at cost of about one thousan…1940Mr. Dickinson, farmer and his ski tow, which he insta…Dickinson farm and ski town tow, which costs him about one thousand dollars to install three years ago. This is the fir…1940Dickinson farm and ski town tow, which costs him abou…Dickinson farm and ski town tow, which costs him about one thousand dollars to install three years ago. This is the fir…1940Dickinson farm and ski town tow, which costs him abou…Mr. Dickerson, farmer, who owns and runs a ski tow on hill in back of his farmhouse. It cost him about one thousand dol…1940Mr. Dickerson, farmer, who owns and runs a ski tow on…Mr. Dickerson, farmer, who owns and runs a ski tow on hill in back of his farmhouse. It cost him about one thousand dol…1940Mr. Dickerson, farmer, who owns and runs a ski tow on…Landaff, Grafton County, New Hampshire. Though buying and selling is almost all done here in Lisbon1941Landaff, Grafton County, New Hampshire. Though buying…
1950s–1970snothing 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
1980s1 item
Pontiac sign1984Pontiac sign
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
Today2 recent
Lisbon, Grafton County, N.H2008Lisbon, Grafton County, N.HLisbon, NH, USA2007Lisbon, NH, USA
People over time

Lisbon, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001850190019502000Peak: 2,460

Peaked at 2,460 in 1910; 1,621 people lived here in 2020.

20 censuses, 1830–2020.

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

Every building

Lisbon, building by building, 1889–1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Lisbon fire insurance map, 1889, sheet 11889Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Lisbon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lisbon.

Read it all →

Lisbon was first granted in 1763 by colonial Governor Benning Wentworth as "Concord". In 1764 the town was renamed "Chiswick", after the Duke of Devonshire's castle, while Rumford in central New Hampshire took the name "Concord" in 1765. In 1768, the town was settled and renamed again, this time to "Gunthwaite", after a relation of colonial Governor John Wentworth. The name "Lisbon" was selected by Governor Levi Woodbury when it was incorporated in 1824. His friend, Colonel William Jarvis, had been consul at Lisbon, Portugal. The town once included land that is now part of Littleton and Sugar Hill.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lisbon, 1763 to 1984

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1763
    FoundingLisbon is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1803Born hereLorenzo Sabine is born here
  5. 1815Post officeThe Concord post office opens
  6. 1824Post officeThe Concord post office closes
  7. 1824Post officeThe Lisbon post office opens
  8. 1854Born hereSolon Irving Bailey is born here
  9. 1869Born hereClement Calhoun Young is born here
  10. 1888Born hereCecil Copping is born here
  11. 20th century
  12. 1910In the archiveMain Street in
  13. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 2,460
  14. 1929On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  15. 1939In the archiveFarmer
  16. 1940In the archiveFarmer near Lisbon, New Hampshire, sorting beans for spring planting on rainy day
  17. 1984In the archivePontiac sign
On the map

Lisbon on the map, 1929 to 1995

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

Lisbon on the 1929 USGS mapLisbon on the 1932 USGS mapLisbon on the 1967 USGS mapLisbon on the 1988 USGS mapLisbon on the 1995 USGS map1929Moosilauke 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 Lisbon.

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.

Main Street in
Retake this viewMain Street in, c. 1910

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Lisbon

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Lisbon Inn
Lisbon Inn
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
Lisbon InnQueen Anne

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

Famous people

9 famous people were born in Lisbon

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

See all →
Solon Irving BaileyAmerican astronomer · b. 1854
Clement Calhoun YoungGovernor of California · b. 1869
L
Lorenzo SabineAmerican politician · b. 1803
C
Cecil CoppingAmerican composer · b. 1888
Edgar G. CrossmanAttorney and United States Army officer · b. 1895
George E. AlbeeUS Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1845
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Lisbon’s post office has been open since 1824. Another post office, Concord, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Concord
1815–1824
Lisbon
1824–today
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BarrettSavageville
Gone or out of use
Salmon Hole SchoolschoolWalker Hill Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Lisbon
Grove Hill

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

Help out

Finish Lisbon’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMain Street in: 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.

LandaffIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLittleton5 historic placesA−LymanIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSugar HillIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lisbon’s history

What year was Lisbon founded?

In 1763, according to Wikidata. Lisbon’s post office opened in 1815, and the census of 1830 counted 1,485 people here.

How does Lisbon rank for history?

Lisbon is more historic than 92% 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 Lisbon?

One place: the Lisbon Inn (listed 1980).

How old are the homes in Lisbon?

44% of Lisbon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.0 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1969.

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 (5), the Library of Congress (28), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.