New Ipswich dates to 1762, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #41 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Most of New Ipswich was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1984 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1800.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives New Ipswich’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Ipswich is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #41 of 126 in New Hampshire. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Ipswich’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 New Ipswich’s 190 sits above most of its state (91% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 101 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1762.
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 (±5.0 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 New Ipswich’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
New Ipswich was granted in 1735 to 60 inhabitants of Ipswich, Massachusetts, whence the name is derived, by colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher and the General Court (Assembly) of Massachusetts. Settlement began in 1738, when Abijah Foster arrived with his wife and infant daughter. In 1762, Governor Benning Wentworth incorporated the town as "Ipswich", and then in 1766 as "New Ipswich". New Ipswich Academy, later renamed Appleton Academy after benefactor Samuel Appleton, was chartered in 1789, the second oldest in New Hampshire after Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter. It would also serve as high school for the nearby communities of Mason and Greenville.
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.
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 1762, according to Wikidata. New Ipswich’s post office opened in 1800, and the first U.S. census counted 1,241 people here in 1790.
How does New Ipswich rank for history?
New Ipswich is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #41 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 New Ipswich?
Two places: the New Ipswich Town Hall (listed 1984) and the New Ipswich Center Village Historic District (1991).
How old are the homes in New Ipswich?
10% of New Ipswich’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1986.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.
1841
1844
c. 1912
1982
2008
2005
2005
