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History · Cambridge

Cambridge dates to 1781, and 52% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1927 on, and the census since 1790.

1781founded
2on the National Register
52%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Cambridge’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Cambridge began

When was Cambridge founded?

1781

Cambridge dates its founding to 1781 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 359 in 17902020 census: 210245 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1803.The full story ↓

What stands out about Cambridge’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Old housesHalf of Cambridge’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsEstablished in 1781: 245 years of Cambridge.
★ What stands out · The story

How Cambridge came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cambridge.

Read it all →

Granted on November 7, 1780, Cambridge was chartered on August 13, 1781, to Samuel Robinson, John Fassett Jr., Jonathan Frost and 64 others. It was first settled in 1783 by John Safford from Piermont, New Hampshire. The valleys proved good but rough, best for grazing livestock. By 1839, the town had about 7,000 sheep. The Lamoille River offered water power for watermills. Industries included one woolen factory, one tannery, and one gristmill, plus several sawmills and cabinet shops.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Cambridge, 1781 to 1927

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1781
    FoundingCambridge is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1865In the archiveDown by the winding river, Cambridge, Vt.Alternate Title: Green Mountain scenery
  5. 1870In the archiveThe Dinner Horn (Blowing the Horn at Seaside)
  6. 20th century
  7. 1908In the archiveScene near
  8. 1927On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Cambridge, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s–1900s5 items
Down by the winding river, Cambridge, Vt.Alternate Title: Green Mountain sceneryc. 1865Down by the winding river, Cambridge, Vt.Alternate Ti…Down by the winding river, Cambridge, Vt.Alternate Title: Green Mountain sceneryc. 1865Down by the winding river, Cambridge, Vt.Alternate Ti…The Dinner Horn (Blowing the Horn at Seaside)1870The Dinner Horn (Blowing the Horn at Seaside)The Dinner Horn (Blowing the Horn at Seaside)1870The Dinner Horn (Blowing the Horn at Seaside)Scene nearc. 1908Scene near
1910s–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
On the map

Cambridge on the map, 1927 to 1944

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

Cambridge on the 1927 USGS mapCambridge on the 1944 USGS map1927Mount Mansfield 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 Cambridge.

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.

Down by the winding river, Cambridge, Vt.Alternate Title: Green Mountain scenery
Retake this viewDown by the winding river, Cambridge, Vt.Alternate Title: Green Mountain scenery, c. 1865

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 listings protect 64 historic buildings

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
64
each building in a district counts

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

People over time

Cambridge, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,000180018501900195020003,839

Grew from 359 people in 1790 to 3,839 in 2020, more than tenfold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Help out

Finish Cambridge’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDown by the winding river, Cambridge, V…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Cambridge’s history

What year was Cambridge founded?

In 1781, according to Wikidata. Cambridge’s post office opened in 1803, and the first U.S. census counted 359 people here in 1790.

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 (5), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.