Windham dates to 1742, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #96 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Most of Windham was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. Its Register listings are the Searles School and Chapel and the Armstrong Memorial Building. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1803.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Windham’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Windham is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #96 of 126 in New Hampshire. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Windham’s overall grade.
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 Windham’s 1.2 sits below most of its state (20% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1742.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size.
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 Windham’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area was initially home to the Pawtucket Native Americans. Scots-Irish immigrants began to settle in the area in 1719. The region was known as "Nutfield," and included what are now the neighboring towns of Derry and Londonderry. By 1721, some of the original settlers petitioned to form a separate independent community. Governor Benning Wentworth granted this request in 1742. One published theory holds that the community's name refers to Windham, Ireland, harkening back to the petitioners' homeland. However, it has been alternatively postulated that the town was named after Sir Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont, a member of Parliament from 1734 to 1750, Secretary of State for the Southern Department from 1761 to 1763, and a good friend of Governor Wentworth. The town of Windham was originally a parish of Londonderry. Windham was the second town designated by Governor Benning Went…
Passages that mention Windham, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History and proceedings of the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the settlement of Windham in New Hampshire1892 · page 17Read the page →
Read the text
JEmigration to Coleraine^ Mass. IT This farm was laid out in 1662, or fifty-seven years before the Scotch made a settlement in Londonderry, of which Windham was a part. Undoubtedly Londonderry had been traversed again and again by exploring and hunting expeditions, before and after 1662 ; still, it is doubtful if any permanent settlements were made till the advent of the Scotch in 1719.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History and proceedings of the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the settlement of Windham in New Hampshire1892 · page 101Read the page →
Read the text
who have come here without any sentiment from the chairman, — neither have I any sentiment to present to you. I have to say, with a great deal of regret, that I was not descended from any one who lived in Windham, neither did I come to Windham to get a wife. [Laughter.] But I am proud to say, as you know by the name, that I belong to that same old Scotch stock that settled here. The first time I ever heard of Windham, it was not the name of this town, but way back in one of the old singing-books where they had the old tune
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Windham in New Hampshire (Rockingham country). 1719-1883. A Scotch settlement (commonly called Scotch-Irish), embracing nearly one third of the ancient settlement and historic township of Londonderry, N.H1883 · page 56Read the page →
Read the text
port the Presbyterian church. Salem having been settled by the English, many of the inhabitants in the southeast part of Windham thought they would be benefited by being disannexed from Windham and annexed to Salem. Many of the people of the northerly and westerly sections of Windham thought they would be benefited by having the English families disannexed from Windham, for then " Samson would be shorn of his locks," and sometime the church would be put in the centre of the town, and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Windham in New Hampshire (Rockingham country). 1719-1883. A Scotch settlement (commonly called Scotch-Irish), embracing nearly one third of the ancient settlement and historic township of Londonderry, N.H1883 · page 57Read the page →
Read the text
had been set off to Salem remained Scotch still, in their habits, customs, manner of living, thoughts, and religious faith. Town lines could not change their characters. They united with their countrymen in their place of worship at the head of Windham Range, paid their taxes for the support of the Presbyterian minister in Windham, " and from choice always belonged to a training company" in Windham. They belonged "to a different regiment from the rest of the inhabitants of Salem," and had been " called
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
Windham, 1742 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1742, according to Wikidata. Windham’s post office opened in 1803, and the first U.S. census counted 663 people here in 1790.
How does Windham rank for history?
Windham is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #96 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 Windham?
Two places: the Searles School and Chapel (listed 1982) and the Armstrong Memorial Building (2018).
How old are the homes in Windham?
6% of Windham’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
![who have come here without any sentiment from the chairman, — neither have I any sentiment to present to you. I have to say, with a great deal of regret, that I was not descended from any one who lived in Windham, neither did I come to Windham to get a wife. [Laughter.] But I am proud to say, as yo…](https://images.townratings.com/story/27710/bk-f18efa22be3d6eda-l.jpg)
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