Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1831.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Braintree’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Braintree is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Braintree’s overall grade.
Vermont towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Vermont town has 147 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Braintree’s 9.7 sits below most of its state (21% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1781.
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 (±7.1 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 Braintree’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
There were two sets of petitioners for the original grant of Braintree in 1779. One group had also petitioned for the grants of Roxbury and Northfield and were thought to be land speculators. The other group, who only petitioned for the Braintree grant, received approval in November 1780. The Braintree grant did not receive an executive sanction and seal until August 1, 1781, when Governor Chittenden issued the charter. The group of original proprietors were nearly entirely from Braintree, Massachusetts.
Passages that mention Braintree, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Braintree, Vermont, including a memorial of families that have resided in town1883 · page 72Read the page →
Read the text
EEPORT * One hundred years ago last Monday (xlugust 1, 1781) tlie town of Braintree came into existence under a cliarter granted by the Governor— Thomas Chittenden— and the Council of the State of Vermont. The people of Braintree assembled on Monday of this week to observe the one-hundredth anniversary of that event. The idea of such an observance seems to have been taken up qaite recently by some of the younger citizens independent of any corporate action of the town, and carried out against the indifference of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Braintree, Vermont, including a memorial of families that have resided in town1883 · page 64Read the page →
Read the text
was the constant wearing of a sailor's suit, thinking it not proper or right to change the style of raiment which he wore when converted. Mr. Snow was severely honest, humble, industrious, and poor; and never took pay for ministerial service. In 1812 he came to Braintree and for two years attended Xatlianiel Spear's mill. Then moving to Ayer's brook at Snowsville, which was named for him, he built a saw mill and a grist mill on that stream in 1S14.
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
Braintree, 1781 to 1972
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1781, according to Wikidata. Braintree’s post office opened in 1831, and the first U.S. census counted 221 people here in 1790.
How does Braintree rank for history?
Braintree is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns. 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 Braintree?
One place: the Braintree Hill Meetinghouse and Cemetery (listed 2024).
How old are the homes in Braintree?
21% of Braintree’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (6), 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.
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