Amenia dates to 1788, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #84 of 758 in New York. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 195 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1807.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Amenia’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Amenia is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #84 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Amenia’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 Amenia’s 524 sits above most of its state (92% of New York towns have fewer) while its 202 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% 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 (±8.4 points). Two sources give 1788.
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 Amenia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Amenia is one of the original towns formed by act of March 7, 1788. It comprises the width of the Oblong Tract, and the east tier of lots in the Great Nine Partners Patent.
Inhabitants prior to European incursion were Pequot, in a village on the west side of a pond they called Wequagnoch. Along with related Native Americans from Connecticut, they held Pow Wows on land both before and after the incorporation of the town.
Passages that mention Amenia, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Dutchess County, New York1909 · page 376Read the page →
Read the text
the sum of six hundred dollars for the support of the poor. In connection with the preceding, the following entry explains itself: "We, Joel Benton, Supervisor and Solomon Cook and Joel Brown, Overseers of the Poor of the town of Amenia, and Philo M. Winchell, Supervisor, and Eben Wheeler and Enos Howkins, Overseers of the town of Northeast, being convened for the purpose of dividing the poor and money of the town of Amenia."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Dutchess County, New York1909 · page 265Read the page →
Read the text
The roads in Amenia are not perfect, but they are being much improved and are likely to be much more improved in the near future. A movement has been recently inaugurated to put down stone or concrete sidewalks in the village of Amenia, and a considerable sum of money has already been secured for this purpose.
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
Amenia, 1766 to 1970
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Amenia. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1899Millbrook 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 Amenia.
Every building
Amenia, building by building, 1887–1913
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.
In 1788, according to Wikidata. Amenia’s post office opened in 1807, and the census of 1820 counted 3,114 people here.
How does Amenia rank for history?
Amenia is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #84 of 758 in New York. 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 Amenia?
6 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Hendrik Winegar House (listed 1975, the first), and 1 historic district, the Webutuck Agricultural Valley Historic District, with 195 contributing buildings. 202 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Amenia?
37% of Amenia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.4 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1958.
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 the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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, 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.
