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Somoresworth High SchoolSomoresworth High School · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0
AHistory
History · Somersworth

Somersworth dates to 1700, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #50 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it

6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 1 buildings. Below: 59 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1790.

1700founded
6on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
59old photos & papers
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Somersworth’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Somersworth began

When was Somersworth founded?

1700

Somersworth dates its founding to 1700 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 943 in 17902020 census: 11,855326 years

How historic is Somersworth?

A

More historic than 88% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1826.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Somersworth’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Somersworth is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #50 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 Somersworth’s overall grade.
Founding era1700, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194023.2% of homes (±5.0) · typical NH town 17.5% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register6 listings, 5.0 per 10,000 residents · typical NH town 9.5 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 88%
NewerOlder
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 61%

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 Somersworth’s 5.0 sits near the middle of its state (36% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 6 listings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1700.
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 (±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 Somersworth’s past

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

A town in postcards59 old photos, postcards and papers, 1859–1960.On the map since 18915 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1977. Watch Somersworth change.Then and nowOne place photographed years apart. Drag to compare.Older than the countryEstablished in 1700, 76 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · By decade

Somersworth, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s1 item
John Brown - Treason broadside, 18591859John Brown - Treason broadside, 1859Document
1900s47 items
6-30 A.M. May 19, 1909. One of the small boys going into Mill No. 1, Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. Saw 6 goin…19096-30 A.M. May 19, 1909. One of the small boys going i…Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. Alcide Turcotte, 15 1-2 Union Street. Albert Beaupre, 1 Kings L…1909Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.…Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. Right hand boy John Velvile. Been in mill one year. Left hand b…1909Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.…Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. Smallest boy is Joseph Lessard, -9 Central St. Vincent Hennesse…1909Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.…Going to dinner from Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. May 18, 1909. A number of young boys and girls work regula…1909Going to dinner from Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somerswort…Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N. H. One of the young girls. There are a number of boys and girls as small and smal…1909Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N. H. One of the y…Group coming out Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. 6 P.M. May 18, 1909. LOC nclc.017411909Group coming out Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N…Group coming out of Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H., 6 p.m. May 18, 1909. See photos and labels -(not filled in…1909Group coming out of Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth…Group of boys who work in Suncock (N. H.) Mills. It is a large corporation, employing 1200 hands, but in all the three …1909Group of boys who work in Suncock (N. H.) Mills. It i…Group of boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. 6 p.m. May 18, 1909. Smallest boy is Alfred Ouellet, 2…1909Group of boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somers…Noon Hour, May 19, 1909. Small boy is William Le Bruex, 81 Main St. Has been working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somerswor…1909Noon Hour, May 19, 1909. Small boy is William Le Brue…Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. LOC nclc.017581909Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls …Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. LOC nclc.017621909Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls …Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Some of the small girls working in the Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. LOC nclc.017421909Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Some of the small girls work…Noon hour. Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. LOC nclc.017571909Noon hour. Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Some…Small boy works as helper (back roping) in Great Falls Mfg. Co. Charles Chase, 201 Main St. When I inquired about him..…1909Small boy works as helper (back roping) in Great Fall…Small girls working in Great Falls Mfg. Co. Many others there1909Small girls working in Great Falls Mfg. Co. Many othe…Small girls working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. Many others there. LOC nclc.017521909Small girls working in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somerswo…The girl on right hand works regularly in Great Falls Mfg. Co., Somersworth, N.H. Eva Vanasse, 82 Washington St. Been t…1909The girl on right hand works regularly in Great Falls…The smallest boy does not work in the mill. The rest do. Great Falls Mfg. Co. Boy next in size to that one is James... …1909The smallest boy does not work in the mill. The rest …Young girls going to work after noon hour, in Great Falls Mfg. Co. I saw a number smaller and younger than these1909Young girls going to work after noon hour, in Great F…Noon hour. Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Noon hour. Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. CoSmall girls working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Small girls working in Great Falls Mfg. CoNoon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls …Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls …Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls …Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Boys working in Great Falls …Group coming out Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Group coming out Great Falls Mfg. CoNoon hour, May 18 [?], 1909. Going to work in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Noon hour, May 18 [?], 1909. Going to work in Great F…Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Some of the small girls working in the Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Noon hour, May 19, 1909. Some of the small girls work…Arthur Therion, 66 South Street. Has been at work ("helping father") in Mill #3, Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Arthur Therion, 66 South Street. Has been at work ("h…Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Great Falls Mfg. CoBoys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. CoYoung girls going to work after noon hour, May 18, 1909, in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Young girls going to work after noon hour, May 18, 19…Noon Hour, May 19, 1909. Small boy is William Le Bruex, 81 Main St. Has been working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Noon Hour, May 19, 1909. Small boy is William Le Brue…The girl on right hand works regularly in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909The girl on right hand works regularly in Great Falls…Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. CoBoys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. CoGoing to dinner from Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Going to dinner from Great Falls Mfg. CoBoys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Boys working in Great Falls Mfg. CoGroup of boys working in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Group of boys working in Great Falls Mfg. CoGroup coming out of Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Group coming out of Great Falls Mfg. CoLeft hand boy Zeke Gosselin, 95 Main St. Been in mill one year. Other boy Philip Lesard, 68 Elm Street. Been in mill th…1909Left hand boy Zeke Gosselin, 95 Main St. Been in mill…Smallest boy does not work in the mill. The rest do. Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Smallest boy does not work in the mill. The rest do. …6:30 A.M. May 19, 1909. One of the small boys going into Mill No. 1, Great Falls Mfg. Co19096:30 A.M. May 19, 1909. One of the small boys going i…Small boy works as helper -- backroping in Great Falls Mfg. Co1909Small boy works as helper -- backroping in Great Fall…Great Falls Mfg. Co. Boy on left hand is William Dosmaris, 2 Hornes Court. Been working 6 months. Boy on right hand Alb…1909Great Falls Mfg. Co. Boy on left hand is William Dosm…
1910s2 items
Burleigh School, Somersworth, New Hampshire 1912 Postcard1912Burleigh School, Somersworth, New Hampshire 1912 Post…PostcardSalmon Falls River fromc. 1915Salmon Falls River fromPostcard
1920s–1950snothing 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
1960s1 item
USS Somersworth (PCE(R)-849)1960USS Somersworth (PCE(R)-849)
1970s–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
Date unknown8 to date
Fall FarmDate?Fall FarmPostcardHigh StreetDate?High StreetPostcardMain StDate?Main StPostcardMill No. 1Date?Mill No. 1PostcardOld High School inDate?Old High School inPostcardThe Opera HouseDate?The Opera HousePostcard17-19 Market Street (Houses)Date?17-19 Market Street (Houses)Free Will Baptist Church, 10 Green StreetDate?Free Will Baptist Church, 10 Green Street
Today7 recent
SomersworthNH OldHighSchool2015SomersworthNH OldHighSchoolQueensbury Mill2013Queensbury MillPost Office2013Post Office163 Main Street2013163 Main Street104 Green Street2013104 Green StreetBirds eye view of Great Falls, Strafford Co., New Hampshire & Berwick, York Co., Maine, 18772008Birds eye view of Great Falls, Strafford Co., New Ham…Maplewood playground2007Maplewood playground
On the map

Somersworth on the map, 1891 to 1977

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

Somersworth on the 1891 USGS mapSomersworth on the 1937 USGS mapSomersworth on the 1941 USGS mapSomersworth on the 1958 USGS mapSomersworth on the 1977 USGS map1891Berwick 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 Somersworth.

Then & now

The same spot, years apart

Drag across each photo to compare.

Old Somersworth High SchoolOld High School inThenToday
Old High School inMatched from the two captions
The story

How Somersworth came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Somersworth.

Read it all →

Prior to European settlement, the area that is now Somersworth was central-south Abenaki land. These Algonquian speaking peoples of the Wabanaki Confederacy lived along what they called Newichwanook, now the Salmon Falls River. Colonists from Britain arriving before 1700 named the area "Sligo", after Sligo in Ireland and settled there as a part of Dover. The community was organized in 1729 as the parish of "Summersworth", meaning "summer town", because during that season the ministers preached there. It was set off and incorporated in 1754 by colonial governor Benning Wentworth, and until 1849 included Rollinsford. A clerical error at incorporation contracted the name to "Somersworth". It was incorporated as a city in 1893, before which it was also known as "Great Falls".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Somersworth in 1914

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

The Parish of Summersworth had noted men from its beginning until ihe Provincial Assembly changed it to the Town of Somersworth, wiiich orthography was not asked for by tiie parish, and somebody blundered when he drew up the act of incorporation, and nobody noticed the blunder until it became law. …
History of Strafford County, New Hampshire1914 · page 250Read the page →
Read the text

The Parish of Summersworth had noted men from its beginning until ihe Provincial Assembly changed it to the Town of Somersworth, wiiich orthography was not asked for by tiie parish, and somebody blundered when he drew up the act of incorporation, and nobody noticed the blunder until it became law. In that part of the old parish, now Rollinsford, near Salmon Falls village, stands an old mansion house, a little northwest of the Boston and Maine Railroad station, which was built about the year 1710 by Col.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1783 a bridge was built between Berwick and Great Falls, Berwick to keep one-half in repair and Somersworth the other half. According to tradition, this first bridge at Great Falls was located nearly in the same place where the present bridge is; and the city of Somersworth and the town of Berwi…
History of Strafford County, New Hampshire1914 · page 228Read the page →
Read the text

In 1783 a bridge was built between Berwick and Great Falls, Berwick to keep one-half in repair and Somersworth the other half. According to tradition, this first bridge at Great Falls was located nearly in the same place where the present bridge is; and the city of Somersworth and the town of Berwick "go halves" on keeping it in repair.

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

Somersworth, 1700 to 1960

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1700
    FoundingSomersworth is established
  3. 1740Born hereJohn Sullivan is born here
  4. 19th century
  5. 1824Born hereEdward H. Rollins is born here
  6. 1826Post officeThe Great Falls post office opens
  7. 1859In the archiveJohn Brown - Treason broadside, 1859
  8. 1870Born hereGeorge William Burleigh is born here
  9. 1888Born hereStuart Chase is born here
  10. 1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1894Post officeThe Great Falls post office closes
  12. 1894Post officeThe Somersworth post office opens
  13. 20th century
  14. 1909In the archive6-30 A.M. May 19, 1909. One of the small boys going into Mill No. 1, Great Falls Mfg. Co.…
  15. 1912In the archiveBurleigh School, Somersworth, New Hampshire 1912 Postcard
  16. 1927BuiltSomoresworth High School is built
  17. 1960In the archiveUSS Somersworth (PCE(R)-849)
Every building

Somersworth, building by building, 1898–1912

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.

Somersworth fire insurance map, 1898, sheet 11898Sheet 1 of 11
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

6 historic places in Somersworth

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

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
6
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Lehoullier Building
Lehoullier BuildingGreen Street SchoolUS Post Office-Somersworth MainQueensbury MillSomoresworth High School, built 1927Forest Glade Cemetery
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Colonial Revival1
Georgian Revival1
Lehoullier BuildingGreek Revival
Green Street SchoolColonial Revival
US Post Office-Somersworth MainGeorgian Revival
Queensbury MillBuilding
Somoresworth High SchoolBuilt 1927
Forest Glade CemeteryDistrict

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

People over time

Somersworth, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,0001800185019001950200011,855

Grew from 943 people in 1790 to 11,855 in 2020, more than tenfold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Somersworth

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
John SullivanAmerican general, politician and judge from New… · b. 1740
Stuart ChaseAmerican economist · b. 1888
Edward H. RollinsAmerican politician · b. 1824
George William BurleighAmerican industrialist and militia officer · b. 1870
D
Devin PowellAmerican mixed martial arts fighter · b. 1988
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Somersworth’s post office has been open since 1894. Another post office, Great Falls, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Great Falls
1826–1894
Somersworth
1894–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BlackwaterCentral ParkCrocketts CrossingFoundry
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Somersworth
Forest GladeHoly TrinityHussySomersworth

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

Help out

Finish Somersworth’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo8 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old view6-30 A.M. May 19, 1909. One of the smal…: 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.

Dover19 historic placesARollinsford4 historic placesA

Questions about Somersworth’s history

What year was Somersworth founded?

In 1700, according to Wikidata. Somersworth’s post office opened in 1826, and the first U.S. census counted 943 people here in 1790.

How does Somersworth rank for history?

Somersworth is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #50 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 Somersworth?

6 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Lehoullier Building (listed 1979, the first), and 1 historic district, the Forest Glade Cemetery, with 1 contributing buildings.

How old are the homes in Somersworth?

23% of Somersworth’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 1967.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (38), the Library of Congress (28), Wikidata (6), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.