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History · Sharon

Sharon dates to 1738, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Sharon was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Its Register listing is the Brick Schoolhouse. Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1790.

1738founded
1on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Quick answers

How Sharon began

When was Sharon founded?

1738

Sharon dates its founding to 1738 (Wikipedia’s history). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 259 in 17902020 census: 359288 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1832.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sharon’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Sharon are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1810 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 19004 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1997. Watch Sharon change.Older than the countryEstablished in 1738, 38 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sharon’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sharon’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Sharon, census by census

010020030040018001850190019502000446 in 1810Low: 21

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1810 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

On the map

Sharon on the map, 1900 to 1997

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

Sharon on the 1900 USGS mapSharon on the 1953 USGS mapSharon on the 1987 USGS mapSharon on the 1997 USGS map1900Peterboro 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 Sharon.

The story

How Sharon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sharon.

Read it all →

Sharon was first settled in 1738 as part of "Peterborough Slip", an area which until 1768 included Temple. In 1777, it petitioned to become part of Peterborough, but was denied. It was called "Sliptown" until 1791, when it was incorporated as Sharon. It took its name from Sharon, Connecticut, from which many settlers originated.

The topography is uneven and, in parts, mountainous. In 1823, the population was 400. By 1859, when the population was 229, the town had three sawmills. The principal occupation, however, was farming.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Sharon in 1885

Passages that mention Sharon, cut from the printed page as they were published.

At a meeting of the inhabitants, June 22, 1768, they voted to have the town called Sharon, but Governor Wentworth named it Mason. The town includes that portion of the town of Townsend, Mass., which was north of the province line as established in 1741.
History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire1885Read the page →
Read the text

At a meeting of the inhabitants, June 22, 1768, they voted to have the town called Sharon, but Governor Wentworth named it Mason. The town includes that portion of the town of Townsend, Mass., which was north of the province line as established in 1741.

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

Sharon, 1738 to 1900

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1738
    FoundingSharon is established
  3. 1787Born hereGustavus Swan is born here
  4. 19th century
  5. 1810CensusPopulation peaks at 446
  6. 1832BuiltBrick Schoolhouse is built
  7. 1832Post officeThe Sharon post office opens
  8. 1833Post officeThe Sharon post office closes
  9. 20th century
  10. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Sharon, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Three Maples Bed and Breakfast2013Three Maples Bed and BreakfastSharon Arts Center2013Sharon Arts CenterBrick Schoolhouse2013Brick SchoolhouseSharonNH BrickSchoolhouse2012SharonNH BrickSchoolhouse
On the National Register

1 historic place in Sharon

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2002
Brick Schoolhouse
Brick Schoolhouse, built 1832
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Brick SchoolhouseGreek Revival · Built 1832

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Sharon had its own post office from 1832 to 1833.

Sharon
1832–1833
18301930today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sharon
Jarmany HillNorth

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Temple2 historic placesAPeterborough5 historic placesA+

Questions about Sharon’s history

What year was Sharon founded?

In 1738, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Sharon’s post office opened in 1832, and the first U.S. census counted 259 people here in 1790.

What is on the National Register in Sharon?

One place: the Brick Schoolhouse (listed 2002).

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 (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.