–Not graded

History · Westford

Westford dates to 1790, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1820.

1790founded

0on the National Register

36%homes built before 1940

1old photo or paper

3famous people

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Quick answers

How Westford began

When was Westford founded?

1790

Westford dates its founding to 1790 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 1,526 in 18202020 census: 804236 years

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓

What stands out about Westford’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.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Westford, and 3 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19073 editions of the USGS map, 1907 to 1994. Watch Westford change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1790: 236 years of Westford.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Westford’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old viewWestford NY Presby PHS836: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Westford’s post office has been open since 1819. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Westford

1819–today

Westville

1830–1907

Maple Valley

1875–1919

18101920today

Hamlets and corners on the map

Five PointsMaple ValleyWestville

Gone or out of use

School Number 11schoolSchool Number 8school

4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Westford

Draper HillWestfordWestford Congregational ChurchWestville Baptist Churchyard

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

On the map

Westford on the map, 1907 to 1994

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

1907Cooperstown 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 Westford.

The story

How Westford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Westford.

Read it all →

The town was first settled around 1790 by pioneers from Vermont. However, it is claimed that the first settler in Westford was Robert Roseboom from New Jersey, who settled in what is now known as Maple Valley. During the 1790s, Westford received an influx of land-hungry settlers from New England, who established the first churches and schools in Westford.

The town was established from part of the town of Worcester in 1808.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Westford in 1892

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

M. D. Bentley was bom Dec. 19, 1834, in the town of Westford, Otsego Co., and educated at the common schools and went on a farm. He enlisted in Co. D, 3d N. Y. C. under Capt. Brown, but was rejected by reason of poor sight. Enlisted the second time, was accepted and mustered in at Norwich, N. Y., A… — Grand Army of the Republic. History of the order in the U. S. by counties. Otsego County posts, Department of New York, including a complete record of soldiers surviving and buried in the county, with company and regiment ... Compiled by D. A. Ellis1892Read the page →
Read the text
M. D. Bentley was bom Dec. 19, 1834, in the town of Westford, Otsego Co., and educated at the common schools and went on a farm. He enlisted in Co. D, 3d N. Y. C. under Capt. Brown, but was rejected by reason of poor sight. Enlisted the second time, was accepted and mustered in at Norwich, N. Y., Aug. 29, 1864 as a private in Co. E, 1 st N. Y. Eng. Joined his company at Point of Rocks, Va., crossed the James and participated in the
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

Westford, 1790 to 1923

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

18th century
1790
FoundingWestford is established
19th century
1819Post officeThe Westford post office opens
1830Post officeThe Westville post office opens
1848Born hereAndrew S. Draper is born here
1848Born hereAlden Chester is born here
1859Born hereFlora L. Aldrich is born here
1875Post officeThe Maple Valley post office opens
20th century
1907Post officeThe Westville post office closes
1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1919Post officeThe Maple Valley post office closes
1923In the archiveWestford NY Presby PHS836

By decade

Westford, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s1 item

1923Westford NY Presby PHS836

1930s–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

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 viewWestford NY Presby PHS836, 1923

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Westford’s page.

Retake this view · +15

People over time

Westford, census by census

Between 435 and 1,645 people in every census since 1820.

20 censuses, 1820–2010.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Westford

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

See all →

Andrew S. DraperAmerican educator, author, and jurist · b. 1848

Flora L. AldrichAmerican physician · b. 1859

Alden ChesterNew York Supreme Court Justice · b. 1848

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Middlefield3 historic placesA Roseboom2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Maryland1 historic placeA⁻DecaturIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Worcester2 historic placesA⁺

Questions about Westford’s history

What year was Westford founded?

In 1790, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Westford’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1820 counted 1,526 people here.

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 (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.

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