More historic than 96% of U.S. towns · #20 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 111 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1790.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Putney is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns, #20 of 71 in Vermont. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Putney’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 Putney’s 435 sits above most of its state (82% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 114 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.9 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Putney’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
On December 26, 1753, Colonel Josiah Willard led a proprietors' petition for a Putney charter to be established in the Equivalent Lands. The charter was issued that day by Governor Benning Wentworth – issuer of the New Hampshire Grants under the authority of King George II of Great Britain. Significant settlement of Putney did not begin until after the French and Indian War ended in 1763.
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.
Putney is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns, #20 of 71 in Vermont. 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 Putney?
5 listings: 2 buildings, 1 historic district, the Putney Village Historic District, with 111 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 114 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Putney?
29% of Putney’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.9 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.
1924
1940
1940