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Old Covered Bridge, West Swanzey, NHPhoto: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
AHistory
History · Swanzey

Swanzey dates to 1753, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 87% of U.S. towns · #51 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1790.

1753founded
5on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Swanzey began

When was Swanzey founded?

1753

Swanzey dates its founding to 1753 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 1,157 in 17902020 census: 7,270273 years

How historic is Swanzey?

A

More historic than 87% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1815.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Swanzey’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Swanzey is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #51 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 Swanzey’s overall grade.
Founding era1753, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194020.4% of homes (±6.7) · typical NH town 17.5% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register5 listings, 6.8 per 10,000 residents · typical NH town 9.5 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 87%
NewerOlder
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 60%

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 Swanzey’s 6.8 sits near the middle of its state (41% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 5 listings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1753.
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 (±6.7 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 Swanzey’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18985 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1998. Watch Swanzey change.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Swanzey, and 6 old place names are still on the map.Older than the countryEstablished in 1753, 23 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Swanzey’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Swanzey on the map, 1898 to 1998

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

Swanzey on the 1898 USGS mapSwanzey on the 1932 USGS mapSwanzey on the 1958 USGS mapSwanzey on the 1984 USGS mapSwanzey on the 1998 USGS map1898Keene 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 Swanzey.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Swanzey had its own post office from 1815 to 1920. Another post office, Westport, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Swanzey
1815–1920
Westport
1832–1914
West Swanzey
1849–today
East Swanzey
1874–today
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
East SwanzeyJoslinSpraguevilleSwanzey StationWest SwanzeyWestport
1cemetery inside Swanzey
Mount Caesar

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

The story

How Swanzey came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Swanzey.

Read it all →

First granted in 1733 as "Lower Ashuelot", Swanzey was one of the fort towns established by Governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts, which then claimed the territory. The town was the site of many battles during King George's War, and in 1747 it was abandoned for three years. It was regranted to 62 proprietors on July 2, 1753, by Governor Benning Wentworth as "Swanzey", most probably because some early settlers had a connection to Swansea in Wales. Situated on the Ashuelot River and connected by the Ashuelot Railroad, West Swanzey developed as a textile mill town, and East Swanzey produced wooden buckets for generations. By 1859, the population was 2,106.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Swanzey, 1881–1892

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

"To the inliabitants of the town of Swanzey. Gentlemen — We the subscribers, inhabitants of the town of Swanzey, not being conveniently situated to attend school at the school-house, and being anxiously concerned for the education of our children, humbly request the favor of being formed into a sch…
The history of Swanzey, New Hampshire, from 1734 to 18901892 · page 188Read the page →
Read the text

"To the inliabitants of the town of Swanzey. Gentlemen — We the subscribers, inhabitants of the town of Swanzey, not being conveniently situated to attend school at the school-house, and being anxiously concerned for the education of our children, humbly request the favor of being formed into a school district by ourselves, witli the liberty of building a school-house and appropriating our proportion of school money for the use and benefit of a school in said district.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Viirious attempts have been made by the earl}'' itinerant to establish Methodist preaching in Swanzey, but all efforts proved unavailing. About 1840 efforts were again made to establish preaching at Swanzey Factory and East Swanzey with but little success, although a class was formed at the latter …
The history of Swanzey, New Hampshire, from 1734 to 18901892 · page 180Read the page →
Read the text

Viirious attempts have been made by the earl}'' itinerant to establish Methodist preaching in Swanzey, but all efforts proved unavailing. About 1840 efforts were again made to establish preaching at Swanzey Factory and East Swanzey with but little success, although a class was formed at the latter place and connected with the Keene charge.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
commenced practice in Wells, Me., where he remained two years, when he removecl to "Woburn, Mass. He practised medicine there six years, and then moved to Swanzey where he resided until 1872, when he came to Marlborough. He represented the town of Swanzey in the State Legislature one year, held the…
History of the town of Marlborough, Cheshire County, New Hampshire1881 · page 396Read the page →
Read the text

commenced practice in Wells, Me., where he remained two years, when he removecl to "Woburn, Mass. He practised medicine there six years, and then moved to Swanzey where he resided until 1872, when he came to Marlborough. He represented the town of Swanzey in the State Legislature one year, held the office of County Commissioner three years, and was Justice of the Peace fifteen years; also Post-master from the time Lincoln

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

Swanzey, 1753 to 1920

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1753
    FoundingSwanzey is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1815Post officeThe Swanzey post office opens
  5. 1832Post officeThe Westport post office opens
  6. 1849Post officeThe West Swanzey post office opens
  7. 1853Born hereLoyal B. Stearns is born here
  8. 1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 20th century
  10. 1914Post officeThe Westport post office closes
  11. 1920Post officeThe Swanzey post office closes
By decade

Swanzey, decade by decade

Date unknown2 to date
The history of Swanzey, New Hampshire, from 1734 to 1890Date?The history of Swanzey, New Hampshire, from 1734 to 1…BookThe history of Swanzey, New Hampshire, from 1734 to 1890Date?The history of Swanzey, New Hampshire, from 1734 to 1…Book
Today18 recent
The Salvation Army Family Center 132 Monadnock Highway Swanzey NH February 20262026The Salvation Army Family Center 132 Monadnock Highwa…Begin Again Consignments 132 Monadnock Highway Swanzey NH February 20262026Begin Again Consignments 132 Monadnock Highway Swanze…Santa Claus reindeer statues Swanzey NH January 20252025Santa Claus reindeer statues Swanzey NH January 20251960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market 876 West Swanzey Road NH Route 10 Swanzey NH April 2025 0620251960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market …1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market 876 West Swanzey Road NH Route 10 Swanzey NH April 2025 0520251960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market …1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market 876 West Swanzey Road NH Route 10 Swanzey NH April 2025 0420251960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market …1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market 876 West Swanzey Road NH Route 10 Swanzey NH April 2025 0320251960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market …1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market 876 West Swanzey Road NH Route 10 Swanzey NH April 2025 0220251960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market …1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market 876 West Swanzey Road NH Route 10 Swanzey NH April 2025 0120251960 Cadillac Fleetwood Hidden Treasures Flea Market …4-H sign Cheshire Fairgrounds 247 Monadnock Highway Route 12 Swanzey NH May 202420244-H sign Cheshire Fairgrounds 247 Monadnock Highway R…Ashuelot Recreational Rail Trail2022Ashuelot Recreational Rail TrailCheshire Rail Trail2021Cheshire Rail TrailMt Caesar Union Library2013Mt Caesar Union LibraryGolden Rod Grange No 1142013Golden Rod Grange No 114Monadnock Regional High School2011Monadnock Regional High SchoolHouse in Westport, New Hampshire2011House in Westport, New HampshireChurch in Westport, New Hampshire2011Church in Westport, New HampshireUntitled photo2011Untitled photo
On the National Register

5 historic places in Swanzey

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

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1975
Carleton Bridge
Carleton BridgeSawyers Crossing Covered BridgeSlate Covered BridgeWest Swanzey Covered BridgeGolden Rod Grange No. 114
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Queenpost Truss1
Town Truss1
Carleton BridgeQueenpost Truss
Sawyers Crossing Covered BridgeStructure
Slate Covered BridgeStructure
West Swanzey Covered BridgeTown Truss
Golden Rod Grange No. 114Building

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

People over time

Swanzey, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,000180018501900195020007,270

Grew from 1,157 people in 1790 to 7,270 in 2020, 6 times over.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Troy2 historic placesA+MarlboroughIts storyB+Keene17 historic placesA+Winchester5 historic placesARichmond4 historic placesAChesterfield1 historic placeA−

Questions about Swanzey’s history

What year was Swanzey founded?

In 1753, according to Wikidata. Swanzey’s post office opened in 1815, and the first U.S. census counted 1,157 people here in 1790.

How does Swanzey rank for history?

Swanzey is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #51 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 Swanzey?

5 listings: 1 building and 4 structures.

How old are the homes in Swanzey?

20% of Swanzey’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1978.

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 (20), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.