Most of Middleton was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1919 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1799.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Middleton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Middleton is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Middleton’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 Middleton’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1749.
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 (±4.0 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 Middleton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Granted by the Masonian Proprietors in 1749, the town was named after Sir Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, who was in charge of convoy service between Barbados and the colonies. The land was first settled shortly before the Revolutionary War by settlers from Lee and Rochester. Soon after the war, its population was challenged when a number of Quaker families led by the town auditor, Nicholas Austin, left for the more peaceful setting of Austin, Quebec. Although the soil is rocky and unsuited for cultivation, cider was made in considerable quantities, and maple syrup to some extent.
Passages that mention Middleton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Strafford County, New Hampshire1914 · page 449Read the page →
Read the text
mander-in-Chief in and over said Province of New Hampshire, etc., etc., and to the Honorable His Majesty's Council for the Same — The Humble petition of a Number of the inhabitants and i)roprietors of the Township of Middleton in the county of Strafford and pro\ince aforesaid, being a tract of land granted by the Proprietors of Mason's patent so called on the 2 1st day of March, 1770 — Most Humbly showeth that great progress is made and is still making towards the Compleat Settlement of said tract of land and that the inhabitants and proprietors thereof have been at
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.
In 1749, according to Wikidata. Middleton’s post office opened in 1799, and the first U.S. census counted 617 people here in 1790.
How does Middleton rank for history?
Middleton is more historic than 55% 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 Middleton?
10% of Middleton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 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 (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.
Date?
Date?
2008
