On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Guilford is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Guilford’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 Guilford’s 24.4 sits near the middle of its state (37% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 6 listings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1732.
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 (±8.0 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 Guilford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
BakerBillingsCarpenterChrist ChurchFranklinGrollGuilford CenterLeeMaplehurst and ElmshurtOld NorthStarkWeatherhead HollowWest GuilfordWilkens
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Guilford, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Guilford yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Guilford is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford. The population was 2,120 at the 2020 census.
Guilford was established in 1732. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,121 in 2010, 2,120 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Guilford in 1930
Passages that mention Guilford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of the town of Marlborough, Windham County, Vermont1930Read the page →
Read the text
consisting of Gen. Jonathan Smith, Capt. Simeon Adams, Elisha Winslow, Deacon Sylvester Bishop, and Capt. Rufus Mather, the building of the house was let out by the job to Capt. Stephen Gregory of Guilford, and Pomeroy Knowlton of Brattleboro, at the close of the year 1819, or the commencement of 1820. The builders came May 1, 1820, to begin their work, and found the society together in a public meeting in the old meeting house, much divided in regard to the spot on which to
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of the town of Marlborough, Windham County, Vermont1930Read the page →
Read the text
AMES, Luther (s. of Henry who d. Framingham, Mass., about 1775), b. Aug. 31, 1770, m. Cynthia, b. June 3, 1771, dau. of Uriah Wilbur of Leyden, Mass. He d. Dec. 31, 1841; she d. March 8, 1838. He came from Guilford to Marlborough, 1797, and settled as a cabinet maker on the farm where Abel Stockwell in 1763 commenced the first settlement of the town, now long since known as the Ames farm. On this farm he lived and died, and it is now owned by his des¬
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
Guilford, 1732 to 1998
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 1732, according to Wikidata. Guilford’s post office opened in 1819, and the first U.S. census counted 2,432 people here in 1790.
How does Guilford rank for history?
Guilford is more historic than 86% 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 Guilford?
6 listings: 4 buildings and 2 structures.
How old are the homes in Guilford?
20% of Guilford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.0 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (9), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.
1940
1940
1941
1941
1941
1941
1941
2016
2016
2016
2013
2012
2004
2004
2004
