Randolph dates to 1781, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #34 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 71 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1801.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Randolph’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Randolph is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #34 of 71 in Vermont. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Randolph’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 Randolph’s 151 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 73 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.4 points). Two sources give 1781.
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 Randolph’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Randolph, building by building, 1897–1922
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Vermont granted the town on November 2, 1780, when the New Hampshire settlers could not locate the original grantees, whose patents were issued by New York. It was chartered on June 29, 1781, to Aaron Storrs and 70 others, and was originally named "Middlesex".
The town was first settled c. 1778, when Vermont was an unrecognized state whose government existed in defiance of the government of New York, which claimed Vermont was a part of New York. To encourage recognition of the state by the United States, the town was renamed in honor of Edmund Randolph, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
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.
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 1781, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Randolph’s post office opened in 1801, and the first U.S. census counted 893 people here in 1790.
How does Randolph rank for history?
Randolph is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #34 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 Randolph?
8 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Chandler Music Hall and Bethany Parish House (listed 1973, the first), 3 historic districts, the Randolph Center Historic District, the Depot Square Historic District and the Mari-Castle, with 71 contributing buildings, and 3 structures. 73 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Randolph?
30% of Randolph’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.4 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (9), Wikidata (8), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1937
1937
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1937
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1937
1974
Date?
2021
2019
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