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History · Grafton

Grafton’s post office opened in 1818, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

11 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 134 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1930 on, and the census since 1790.

1818first post office
11on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Grafton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Grafton began

When was Grafton founded?

1818

The Grafton post office opened in 1818, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Houghtonville (1839), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 561 in 17902020 census: 645208 years
Founding year: the first Grafton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Grafton’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.A historic districtThe Grafton Village Historic District takes in 95 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,482 in 1820; 645 people lived here in 2020.Landmarks on the Register11 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grafton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewA Square Deal for Vermont Women Grafton…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

11 listings protect 149 historic buildings

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

places listed
11
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
149
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Kidder Covered Bridge
Kidder Covered BridgeGrafton Congregational Church and ChapelMilldean and Alexander-Davis House, built 1826Park FarmButterfield HouseGrafton Post OfficeGrafton Distric Schoolhouse No. 2, built 1835Grafton Village Historic DistrictMechanicsville Historic DistrictMiddletown Rural Historic DistrictHoughtonville Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival8
Federal5
Italianate2
Neo-Colonial Revival2
Gothic Revival1
Queen Anne1
Kidder Covered BridgeStructure
Grafton Congregational Church and ChapelGreek Revival
Milldean and Alexander-Davis HouseFederal · Built 1826
Park FarmFederal
Butterfield HouseGreek Revival
Grafton Post OfficeGreek Revival
Grafton Distric Schoolhouse No. 2Greek Revival · Built 1835
Grafton Village Historic DistrictFederal
All 11 listings
Mechanicsville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2010Middletown Rural Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2011Houghtonville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2015

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

People over time

Grafton, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60018001850190019502000Peak: 1,482

Peaked at 1,482 in 1820; 645 people lived here in 2020.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

The story

How Grafton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Grafton.

Read it all →

In the early 19th century, sheep raising became popular and multiple woolen mills sprang up along the branches of the Saxtons River. Soapstone was quarried on nearby Bear Mountain. The town became a notable stagecoach hub for traffic across the Green Mountains into Albany, New York. One inn from that era, "the Old Tavern," was founded in 1801. It remains one of the oldest continually operating hotels in the United States. It is now called The Grafton Inn.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Grafton, 1818 to 1930

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1818Post officeThe Grafton post office opens
  3. 1820CensusPopulation peaks at 1,482
  4. 1826BuiltMilldean and Alexander-Davis House is built
  5. 1835BuiltGrafton Distric Schoolhouse No. 2 is built
  6. 1839Post officeThe Houghtonville post office opens
  7. 1857Born hereFrank E. Putnam is born here
  8. 1866Born hereJohn Barrett is born here
  9. 1890In the archiveA Square Deal for Vermont Women Grafton 1890
  10. 20th century
  11. 1905Post officeThe Houghtonville post office closes
  12. 1930On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Grafton, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s1 item
A Square Deal for Vermont Women Grafton 18901890A Square Deal for Vermont Women Grafton 1890
1900s–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
Today15 recent
Grafton, Vermont2010Grafton, VermontGrafton, Vermont2010Grafton, VermontGrafton, Vermont2010Grafton, VermontGrafton, Vermont2010Grafton, VermontGrafton, Vermont2010Grafton, VermontGrafton, Vermont2010Grafton, VermontGrafton, Vermont2010Grafton, VermontGrafton, Vermont2010Grafton, VermontGrafton, Vermont2010Grafton, VermontGrafton, Vermont2010Grafton, Vermont2009 library20092009 libraryView from Butternut Hill2008View from Butternut HillGrafton Village Overlook2008Grafton Village OverlookPhelps Barn2006Phelps BarnGrafton vt highlight2004Grafton vt highlight
On the map

Grafton on the map, 1930 to 1984

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

Grafton on the 1930 USGS mapGrafton on the 1957 USGS mapGrafton on the 1984 USGS map1930Saxtons River 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 Grafton.

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.

A Square Deal for Vermont Women Grafton 1890
Retake this viewA Square Deal for Vermont Women Grafton 1890, 1890

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Grafton

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

See all →
John BarrettUnited States diplomat · b. 1866
F
Frank E. PutnamAmerican politician – Minnesota -- "F.E." Senat… · b. 1857
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Grafton’s post office has been open since 1818. Another post office, Houghtonville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Grafton
1818–today
Houghtonville
1839–1905
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
CambridgeportHoughtonville
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Grafton
BurgessCobb - WestHoughtonvilleMiddletownStilesVillage

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Athens1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWindham2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTownshend8 historic placesARockingham24 historic placesA+Chester6 historic placesA+

Questions about Grafton’s history

What year was Grafton founded?

The Grafton post office opened in 1818, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Grafton?

11 listings: 6 buildings, 4 historic districts with 134 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 149 historic buildings in all.

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 (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (11), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.