The story
Read it all →How Stratford came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Stratford.
Originally granted in 1762 with the name "Woodbury", the town was regranted as Stratford in 1773.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Stratford
Stratford dates to 1773, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 2 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1920 on, and the census since 1790.
1773founded
1on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Quick answers
How Stratford began
When was Stratford founded?
1773
Stratford dates its founding to 1773 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.
First census: 146 in 17902020 census: 662253 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1811.The full story ↓
What stands out about Stratford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,128 in 1890; 662 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages4 hamlets and corners are still on the map.On the map since 19204 editions of the USGS map, 1920 to 1988. Watch Stratford change.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Stratford’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Stratford’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Stratford, census by census
Peaked at 1,128 in 1890; 662 people lived here in 2020.
24 censuses, 1790–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Stratford’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and old corners
Stratford had its own post office from 1811 to 1960.
Stratford
Strafford
North Strafford
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BeattiesMapletonMasonsNorth Stratford
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From the old history books
What they wrote about Stratford in 1925
Passages that mention Stratford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the town of Stratford, New Hampshire, 1773-19251925 · page 52Read the page →
Read the text
To the Gent’m Proprietors of the Town of Stratford in the Province of New Hampshire now convene and sitting in your meeting at the dwelling house of William Thompson innholder in the town of Stratford in the County of Fairfield we the subscribers being Desired to come Into your meeting and to determine by your former Voats. And having the Parties which of the Pro¬ prietors have by Doing Duty or otherwise on their Rights entitled themselves to their Pitches — and being instructed with power to
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the town of Stratford, New Hampshire, 1773-19251925 · page 486Read the page →
Read the text
Voted that we raise the sum of one hundred dollars on the resi¬ dents and non-residents in the town of Stratford for the purpose of purchasing weights and measures and surveying the outlines of the town of Stratford agreeable to an act of the Legislature of this state.
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
Stratford, 1773 to 1995
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 18th century
- 1773FoundingStratford is established
- 19th century
- 1811Post officeThe Stratford post office opens
- 1822Post officeThe Strafford post office opens
- 1827
Born hereJared W. Daniels is born here - 1846Post officeThe North Strafford post office opens
- 1848
Born hereMary R. P. Hatch is born here - 1877
In the archiveHotel, Brunswick Springs, North - 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 1,128
- 20th century
- 1920
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1960Post officeThe Stratford post office closes
- 1995
Born hereMali Obomsawin is born here
By decade
Stratford, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2026
2016
2013
2013
2013
2013
2013
2009On the map
Stratford on the map, 1920 to 1988
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Stratford. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1920Guildhall sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Stratford.
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.
Retake this viewHotel, Brunswick Springs, North, 1877–1885
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Stratford’s page.
Retake this view · +15On the National Register
1 historic place in Stratford
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1998
Martin Homestead
Districts
Architectural styles listings
Colonial1
Vernacular1
New England Cape1
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Famous people
See all →3 famous people were born in Stratford
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Stratford’s history
What year was Stratford founded?
In 1773, according to Wikidata. Stratford’s post office opened in 1811, and the first U.S. census counted 146 people here in 1790.
What is on the National Register in Stratford?
One place: the Martin Homestead (listed 1998).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (9), 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.