2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 31 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1931 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1795.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Orford’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Orford is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs put Orford near the top nationally; its age ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Orford’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 Orford’s 239 sits above most of its state (94% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 31 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.
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 (±4.9 points). Two sources give 1761.
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 Orford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
First called "Number Seven" in a line of Connecticut River fort towns, Orford was incorporated in 1761 by Governor Benning Wentworth and named for Robert Walpole, Earl of Orford, who was the first prime minister of Great Britain. The town was settled in 1765 by Daniel Cross and wife from Lebanon, Connecticut. By 1859, it had 1,406 inhabitants, most involved in agriculture. There was a large tannery, a chair factory, ten sawmills, a starch factory, a gristmill, a sash, blind and door factory, and two boot and shoe factories.
Passages that mention Orford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the town of Bristol, Grafton County, New Hampshire1904 · page 119Read the page →
Read the text
Orford, Dec. 25, 1853. He was largely engaged in the manufacture of bedsteads and croquet sets with his father. He went to Ontario, Cal., for his health in 1883, and there d. of consumption, Nov. 21, 1885, ae. 37-2-26. Shem. (2) George G. Shute and res. Woodsville.
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.
Timeline
Orford, 1761 to 1972
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born 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 1761, according to Wikidata. Orford’s post office opened in 1795, and the first U.S. census counted 540 people here in 1790.
How does Orford rank for history?
Orford is more historic than 98% 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 Orford?
Two places: the Orford Street Historic District (listed 1977) and the Samuel Morey Memorial Bridge, The (1997).
How old are the homes in Orford?
30% of Orford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (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), 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.
c. 1868
c. 1869
c. 1869
