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A−History
History · Marshfield

Marshfield’s post office opened in 1810, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Martin Covered Bridge and the Theodore Wood House. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1940 on, and the census since 1800.

1810first post office
2on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Marshfield’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Marshfield began

When was Marshfield founded?

1810

The Marshfield post office opened in 1810, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Lanesboro (1882), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 172 in 18002020 census: 1,583216 years

How historic is Marshfield?

A−

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Marshfield post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Marshfield’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Marshfield is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Marshfield’s overall grade.
Founding era1810, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194037.5% of homes (±8.1) · typical VT town 22.4% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register2 listings, 10.7 per 10,000 residents · typical VT town 147 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 81%
NewerOlder

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 Marshfield’s 10.7 sits below most of its state (22% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

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 (±8.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Marshfield’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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1810: 216 years of Marshfield.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Marshfield’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Marshfield’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 viewWood pile at the Orton farm: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Marshfield, 1810 to 1974

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1810Post officeThe Marshfield post office opens
  3. 1858Born hereLindon Bates is born here
  4. 1882Post officeThe Lanesboro post office opens
  5. 1887BuiltTheodore Wood House is built
  6. 20th century
  7. 1931Post officeThe Lanesboro post office closes
  8. 1940On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1942In the archiveWood pile at the Orton farm
  10. 1974Born hereDave Rogers is born here
The story

How Marshfield came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Marshfield.

Read it all →

The town was named for Captain Isaac Marsh, who bought the original town site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Marshfield in 1882

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

Plainfield village is at the extreme northern part of the town, and as incorporated in 1867, includes a portion of the town of Marshfield. In 18 12, it contained about a dozen families, in 1881 about 80. The first mills were burned the same year they were built. The village suffered no more serious…
The history of the towns of Plainfield, Roxbury and Fayston ... with Marshfield or Middlesex papers in fifty copies ..1882 · page 729Read the page →
Read the text

Plainfield village is at the extreme northern part of the town, and as incorporated in 1867, includes a portion of the town of Marshfield. In 18 12, it contained about a dozen families, in 1881 about 80. The first mills were burned the same year they were built. The village suffered no more serious loss by fire until May 16,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Plainfield village is at theextreme northern part of the town, and as incorporated in 1867, includes a portion of the town of Marshfield. In 1812, it contained about a dozen families, in 1 88 r about 80. The first mills were burned the same year they were built. The village suffered no more serious…
The history of the towns of Plainfield, Roxbury and Fayston, Vermont1882 · page 729Read the page →
Read the text

Plainfield village is at theextreme northern part of the town, and as incorporated in 1867, includes a portion of the town of Marshfield. In 1812, it contained about a dozen families, in 1 88 r about 80. The first mills were burned the same year they were built. The village suffered no more serious loss by fire until May 16,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Plainfield village is at the extreme northern part of the town,, and as incorporated in 1867, includes a portion of the town of Marshfield. In 1812, it contained about a dozen families; in 1881 about 80. The first mills were burned the same year they were built. The village suffered no more serious…
The History of Washington County in the Vermont historical gazetteer1882 · page 729Read the page →
Read the text

Plainfield village is at the extreme northern part of the town,, and as incorporated in 1867, includes a portion of the town of Marshfield. In 1812, it contained about a dozen families; in 1881 about 80. The first mills were burned the same year they were built. The village suffered no more serious loss by fire until May 16,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Plainfield village is at the extreme northern part of the town, and as incorporated in 1867, includes a portion of the town of Marshfield. In 1812, it contained about a dozen families, in 1881 about 80. The first mills were burned the same year they were built. The village suffered no more serious …
The history of Washington county, in the Vermont historical gazetteer1882 · page 729Read the page →
Read the text

Plainfield village is at the extreme northern part of the town, and as incorporated in 1867, includes a portion of the town of Marshfield. In 1812, it contained about a dozen families, in 1881 about 80. The first mills were burned the same year they were built. The village suffered no more serious loss by fire until May 16,

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.

By decade

Marshfield, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s3 items
Wood pile at the Orton farm1942Wood pile at the Orton farmThe Orton barn on US Route 21942The Orton barn on US Route 2The Orton home and barn1942The Orton home and barn
1950s–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
Today8 recent
Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -swimming-82011Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -swimming-8Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -swimming-8 (4)2011Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -swimming-8 (4)Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -swimming-8 (3)2011Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -swimming-8 (3)Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -swimming-8 (2)2011Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -swimming-8 (2)Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -swimming-8 (1)2011Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -swimming-8 (1)Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -flying-8 (5)2011Gavia immer -Marshfield, Vermont, USA -flying-8 (5)Side elevation, east. - Martin Barn, U.S. Route 2 at Fowler Road2006Side elevation, east. - Martin Barn, U.S. Route 2 at …Marshfield vt highlight2004Marshfield vt highlight
On the map

Marshfield on the map, 1940 to 1986

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

Marshfield on the 1940 USGS mapMarshfield on the 1953 USGS mapMarshfield on the 1986 USGS map1940Plainfield 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 Marshfield.

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.

Wood pile at the Orton farm
Retake this viewWood pile at the Orton farm, 1942

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Marshfield

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Martin Covered Bridge
Martin Covered BridgeTheodore Wood House, built 1887
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Second Empire1
Martin Covered BridgeStructure
Theodore Wood HouseSecond Empire · Built 1887

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

People over time

Marshfield, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60018001850190019502000Peak: 1,588

Between 172 and 1,588 people in every census since 1800.

23 censuses, 1800–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Marshfield

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

See all →
Lindon BatesAmerican civil engineer · b. 1858
D
Dave RogersNASCAR crew chief · b. 1974
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Marshfield’s post office has been open since 1810. Another post office, Lanesboro, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Marshfield
1810–today
Lanesboro
1882–1931
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
EdgewaterLanesboro
8cemeteries and burying grounds inside Marshfield
EatonHudsonMaple Hill-BollesNasmithNew DiscoveryPikeRich-HollisterWooster

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.

Cabot1 historic placeA−Plainfield4 historic placesA+Groton4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPeacham4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCalais5 historic placesA+East Montpelier4 historic placesB+

Questions about Marshfield’s history

What year was Marshfield founded?

The Marshfield post office opened in 1810, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Marshfield rank for history?

Marshfield is more historic than 81% 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 Marshfield?

Two places: the Martin Covered Bridge (listed 1974) and the Theodore Wood House (2005).

How old are the homes in Marshfield?

38% of Marshfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.1 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1972.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.