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History · Randolph

Randolph dates to 1824, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1830.

1824founded
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Randolph’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Randolph began

When was Randolph founded?

1824

Randolph dates its founding to 1824 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1830.

First census: 143 in 18302020 census: 328202 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1828.The full story ↓

What stands out about Randolph’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1880 and 1920, then grew 4-fold.Lost villages4 hamlets and corners are still on the map.Deep rootsEstablished in 1824: 202 years of Randolph.Old housesHalf of Randolph’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · People over time

Randolph, census by census

01002003004001850190019502000203 in 1880Low: 67

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1880 and 1920, then grew 4-fold.

20 censuses, 1830–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Randolph’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Randolph had its own post office from 1828 to 1980.

Randolph
1828–1980
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AppalachiaBowmanRandolph HillScates Corner

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Timeline

Randolph, 1824 to 1990

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1824
    FoundingRandolph is established
  3. 1828Post officeThe Randolph post office opens
  4. 1872In the archiveView in
  5. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1940In the archivePost office near Randolph, New Hampshire
  8. 1980Post officeThe Randolph post office closes
  9. 1984In the archiveMt. Jefferson Motel
  10. 1990CensusPopulation peaks at 371
The story

How Randolph came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Randolph.

Read it all →

Randolph was incorporated in 1824, after being originally granted as "Durand" in 1772. The town was named after John Randolph, a Virginia congressman and senator, and a descendant of Pocahontas.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Randolph, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s4 items
View inc. 1872View inView inc. 1872View inView inc. 1872View inView inc. 1872View in
1940s2 items
Post office near Randolph, New Hampshire1940Post office near Randolph, New HampshirePost office and farm home. Randolph, New Hampshire1940Post office and farm home. Randolph, New Hampshire
1950s–1970snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
1980s2 items
Mt. Jefferson Motel1984Mt. Jefferson MotelMt. Jefferson Motel1984Mt. Jefferson Motel
1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Randolph2019RandolphRavine House2017Ravine HouseMooseRiverNH2009MooseRiverNHTown of Randolph from Dome Rock2008Town of Randolph from Dome Rock
On the map

Randolph on the map, 1893 to 1935

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Randolph. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Randolph on the 1893 USGS mapRandolph on the 1935 USGS map1893Mt Washington 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 Randolph.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

View in
Retake this viewView in, c. 1872

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Randolph’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Help out

Finish Randolph’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewView in: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Gorham1 historic placeBJefferson1 historic placeA

Questions about Randolph’s history

What year was Randolph founded?

In 1824, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Randolph’s post office opened in 1828, and the census of 1830 counted 143 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (10), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, 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.