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A+History
History · Strafford

Strafford dates to 1761, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 96% of U.S. towns. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Justin Smith Morrill Homestead, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 30 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1790.

1761founded
2on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Strafford’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Strafford began

When was Strafford founded?

1761

Strafford dates its founding to 1761 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 844 in 17902020 census: 1,094265 years

How historic is Strafford?

A+

More historic than 96% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1819.
History grade

What drives Strafford’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Strafford is more historic than 96% 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 Strafford’s overall grade.
Founding era1761, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194028.2% of homes (±10.9) · typical VT town 22.4% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register2 listings, 32 historic buildings, 233 per 10,000 residents · typical VT town 147 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 96%
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 Strafford’s 233 sits above most of its state (73% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 32 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1761.
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 (±10.9 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 Strafford’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.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1830 and 1970, then more than doubled.On the map since 18963 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1981. Watch Strafford change.A historic districtThe Strafford Village Historic District takes in 30 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Strafford’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Strafford’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 viewStrafford Library ca1899 Vermont: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Strafford, census by census

05001,0001,5002,000180018501900195020001,935 in 1830Low: 536

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1830 and 1970, then more than doubled.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

On the map

Strafford on the map, 1896 to 1981

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

Strafford on the 1896 USGS mapStrafford on the 1944 USGS mapStrafford on the 1981 USGS map1896Strafford 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 Strafford.

The story so far

Strafford, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Strafford yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Strafford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,094 at the 2020 census. The town of Strafford was created on August 12, 1761, by way of a royal charter which King George III of Great Britain issued to Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire. The town was named after the Earl of Strafford. Its town house is one of the most famous in Vermont, sitting atop a hill at the end of the historic town common. Strafford was one of thirteen Vermont towns isolated by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Strafford was established in 1761. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,098 in 2010, 1,094 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Strafford, 1761 to 1960

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1761
    FoundingStrafford is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1819Post officeThe Strafford post office opens
  5. 1830Post officeThe South Strafford post office opens
  6. 1830CensusPopulation peaks at 1,935
  7. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900In the archiveStrafford Library ca1899 Vermont
  10. 1960LandmarkJustin Smith Morrill Homestead named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Strafford, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s1 item
Strafford Library ca1899 Vermont1900Strafford Library ca1899 Vermont
1910s–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
Today29 recent
Strafford, Vermont 092907 4202007Strafford, Vermont 092907 420Strafford, Vermont 092907 4192007Strafford, Vermont 092907 419Strafford, Vermont 092907 4182007Strafford, Vermont 092907 418Strafford, Vermont 092907 4172007Strafford, Vermont 092907 417Strafford, Vermont 092907 4162007Strafford, Vermont 092907 416Strafford, Vermont 092907 4152007Strafford, Vermont 092907 415Strafford, Vermont 092907 4142007Strafford, Vermont 092907 414Strafford, Vermont 092907 4132007Strafford, Vermont 092907 413Strafford, Vermont 092907 4122007Strafford, Vermont 092907 412Strafford, Vermont 092907 4092007Strafford, Vermont 092907 409Strafford, Vermont 092907 4082007Strafford, Vermont 092907 408Strafford, Vermont 092907 4062007Strafford, Vermont 092907 406Strafford, Vermont 092907 4052007Strafford, Vermont 092907 405Strafford, Vermont 092907 4032007Strafford, Vermont 092907 403Strafford, Vermont 092907 4022007Strafford, Vermont 092907 402Strafford, Vermont 092907 4012007Strafford, Vermont 092907 401Strafford, Vermont 092907 3992007Strafford, Vermont 092907 399Strafford, Vermont 092907 3982007Strafford, Vermont 092907 398Strafford, Vermont 092907 3972007Strafford, Vermont 092907 397Strafford, Vermont 092907 3952007Strafford, Vermont 092907 395Strafford, Vermont 092907 3942007Strafford, Vermont 092907 394Strafford, Vermont 092907 3932007Strafford, Vermont 092907 393Strafford, Vermont 092907 3922007Strafford, Vermont 092907 392Strafford, Vermont 092907 3912007Strafford, Vermont 092907 391Strafford, Vermont 092907 3902007Strafford, Vermont 092907 390Strafford, Vermont 092907 3892007Strafford, Vermont 092907 389Strafford, Vermont 092907 3882007Strafford, Vermont 092907 388Justin Morrill Mausoleum2006Justin Morrill MausoleumStrafford vt highlight2004Strafford vt highlight
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.

Strafford Library ca1899 Vermont
Retake this viewStrafford Library ca1899 Vermont, 1900

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 listings protect 32 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmark
1
Justin Smith Morrill Homestead
historic buildings protected
32
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Justin Smith Morrill Homestead
Strafford Village Historic DistrictJustin Smith Morrill Homestead★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Gothic Revival1
★ Landmark
Justin Smith Morrill HomesteadBuilding
Strafford Village Historic DistrictGreek Revival

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

Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Strafford’s post office has been open since 1819.

Strafford
1819–today
South Strafford
1830–today
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Copper FlatOld CitySouth Strafford
Gone or out of use
Elizabeth Minemine
10cemeteries and burying grounds inside Strafford
BuzzellCloughCook - Huse - FultonDowEvergreenKiblingOld CityRobinsonStraffordWood

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.

Tunbridge9 historic placesA+Sharon1 historic placeB+VershireIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townThetford8 historic placesAWest Fairlee5 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRoyalton5 historic placesA+

Questions about Strafford’s history

What year was Strafford founded?

In 1761, according to Wikidata. Strafford’s post office opened in 1819, and the first U.S. census counted 844 people here in 1790.

How does Strafford rank for history?

Strafford is more historic than 96% 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 Strafford?

Two places: the Justin Smith Morrill Homestead (listed 1966) and the Strafford Village Historic District (1974).

How old are the homes in Strafford?

28% of Strafford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.9 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1980.

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 (30), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.