Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1821.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Addison’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Addison is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. 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 Addison’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Addison’s 586 sits above most of its state (93% of New York towns have fewer) while its 99 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1791.
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).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Addison’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
The town was first settled in 1791 by Samuel Rice. Originally a part of the old town of Painted Post, Addison was organized as Middletown at the time of Steuben County's creation in March 1796. The name was changed to Addison to honor of Joseph Addison, the English author, on April 6, 1808. The early settlers called it also Tuscarora. Addison Academy opened in 1840. In 1890, the town's population was 2,884.
Passages that mention Addison, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the town of Middlebury, in the country of Addison, Vermont1859 · page 44Read the page →
Read the text
The first settlement hj Europeans in the County of Addison, was made bj the French, on the east shore of Lake Champlain. opposite Crown Point, in pursuance of their .plan to extend theii settlements, and fortifications, and set limits to those of the English. In the year 1730, a few individuals or families, came up the lake from Canada, and established themselves at Chimncj Point, in Addison, and built a block house and windmill, on the point where the tavern house now stands. The next year troops were sent out and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the town of Middlebury, in the country of Addison, Vermont1859 · page 56Read the page →
Read the text
cation for them, and soon extended over nearly the whole territory chartered by New Hampshire. The valleys of Lake Champlain and Otter Creek, were granted principally to reduced officers, and a large territory, north of Addison Count}*, was reserved for noncommissioned officers and soldiers. A small tract was also reserved for them in the County of Addison, near the bend of the creek in Weybridge and New Haven, and perhaps some contiguous territory.
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.
Timeline
Addison, 1791 to 1927
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born 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 1791, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Addison’s post office opened in 1821, and the census of 1820 counted 652 people here.
How does Addison rank for history?
Addison is more historic than 98% 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.
How old are the homes in Addison?
51% of Addison’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.4 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 (18), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
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