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–Not graded
History · Gilmanton

Gilmanton’s post office opened in 1858, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1932 on.

1858first post office
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Gilmanton began

When was Gilmanton founded?

1858

The Gilmanton post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Griffin (1900), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 425168 years
Founding year: the first Gilmanton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Gilmanton’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Gilmanton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Gilmanton’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gilmanton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gilmanton’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Gilmanton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Gilmanton.

Read it all →

Gilmanton was first settled by Samuel Gilman in 1855. He and his four sons started to live upon the land, building cabins and cutting hay for their animal stock. The same year the first child, a girl, was born in Gilman Valley. The first religious meeting was held in a house of one of the settlers, overseen by Rev. B.F. Morse. In 1858 the first post office was established, with William Loumis as the first postmaster. Gilmanton Township was initially called the "Loomis Settlement." The name was changed to Gilmanton May 25, 1858.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Gilmanton, 1858 to 1932

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1858Post officeThe Gilmanton post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1900Post officeThe Griffin post office opens
  5. 1904Post officeThe Griffin post office closes
  6. 1930Born hereEdwin J. Peterson is born here
  7. 1932On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Gilmanton, decade by decade

Today1 recent
WIMap-doton-Gilmanton2004WIMap-doton-Gilmanton
On the map

Gilmanton on the map, 1932 to 1973

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

Gilmanton on the 1932 USGS mapGilmanton on the 1973 USGS map1932Gilmanton 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 Gilmanton.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Gilmanton’s post office has been open since 1858. Another post office, Griffin, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Gilmanton
1858–today
Griffin
1900–1904
18501940today
Gone or out of use
Four Corners SchoolschoolGilman Valley SchoolschoolGriffin SchoolschoolOak Grove Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Gilmanton
Gilmanton

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.

ModenaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMondoviIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAlmaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDoverIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLincolnIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Gilmanton’s history

What year was Gilmanton founded?

The Gilmanton post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.