Lyme dates to 1761, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 104 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers from 1869 on.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1812.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lyme’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lyme is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs put Lyme near the top nationally; its age ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lyme’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 Lyme’s 608 sits above most of its state (97% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 104 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1761.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.7 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 Lyme’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
This was once a home to Abenaki Indians, including a band of Sokokis near Post Pond at a place they called Ordanakis. Later, it would be among the many towns granted by colonial Governor Benning Wentworth along the Connecticut River in 1761. Many of the 63 grantees lived in Massachusetts and Connecticut, but virtually none of them ever settled in Lyme, and they instead sold or assigned their grants to others. However, those settlers who did arrive in 1764 were mostly from those states. The town encompasses land that, prior to the Lyme's founding, was called Tinkham town. In the late 1770s, Lyme petitioned (ultimately unsuccessfully) to join Vermont.
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 1761, according to Wikidata. Lyme’s post office opened in 1812.
How does Lyme rank for history?
Lyme is among the most historic 1% 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 Lyme?
Three places: the Lyme Center Historic District (listed 1987), the Lyme Common Historic District (1988) and the Lyme-East Thetford Bridge (2020).
How old are the homes in Lyme?
32% of Lyme’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1977.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
c. 1869
1910s
1910
2010