Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1818.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Milton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Milton is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #69 of 126 in New Hampshire. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Milton’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 Milton’s 11.0 sits near the middle of its state (50% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% 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 (±6.1 points). Two sources give 1802.
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 Milton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally a part of Rochester variously called the "Northeast Parish", "Three Ponds" or "Milton Mills", the town was settled in 1760. It was set off and incorporated in 1802 as "Milton", the name either a contraction of "mill town", or else derived from a relative of the Wentworth colonial governors—William Fitzwilliam, Earl Fitzwilliam and Viscount Milton. The town of Fitzwilliam also bears his name.
The high concentration of water-powered industries in Milton caused Ira W. Jones to found and operate an engineering firm from offices on Main Street in Milton. The company did business as I W Jones Engineers.
Passages that mention Milton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Historical address delivered at the centennial celebration, August 30, 1902, of the town of Milton, New Hampshire1902 · page 27Read the page →
Read the text
to his many duties as best he could until about 1800. The first parson who was employed by the town of Milton after its incorporation was Rev. Reuben ]N"ayson, from Wakefield, who was paid the munificent salary of $82, for services during the year 1801. The first preachers oc-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Historical address delivered at the centennial celebration, August 30, 1902, of the town of Milton, New Hampshire1902 · page 20Read the page →
Read the text
Parish of Eochester as the town of Milton, and a charter to that effect was formally granted. The records show that the first town-meeting was called by William Palmer, Esq., and convened at the tavern of Lieutenant Elijah Home (at present the residence of James
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.
By decade
Milton, decade by decade
2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Milton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1958Berwick 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 Milton.
Every building
Milton, building by building, 1908–1914
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.
In 1802, according to Wikidata. Milton’s post office opened in 1818, and the census of 1810 counted 1,005 people here.
How does Milton rank for history?
Milton is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #69 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 Milton?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Plumer-Jones Farm (listed 1979, the first). 5 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Milton?
17% of Milton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1980.
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, 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
![to his many duties as best he could until about 1800. The first parson who was employed by the town of Milton after its incorporation was Rev. Reuben ]N"ayson, from Wakefield, who was paid the munificent salary of $82, for services during the year 1801. The first preachers oc-](https://images.townratings.com/story/27844/bk-2a98d983ffd7b34c-l.jpg)
1907
c. 1910
1910
c. 1915
