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History · Angelica

Angelica dates to 1805, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1820.

1805founded
2on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Angelica began

When was Angelica founded?

1805

Angelica dates its founding to 1805 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 1,510 in 18202020 census: 723221 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1809.The full story ↓

What stands out about Angelica’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 Angelica are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Angelica’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,749 in 1890; 1,284 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19064 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1978. Watch Angelica change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Angelica’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Angelica’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 Angelica came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Angelica.

Read it all →

Prior to European settlement, the Seneca name for the area was Ga-ne-o'-weh-ga-yat or "head of the stream".

The area was first settled around 1802 at Angelica village. The town of Angelica was formed in 1805 from the town of Leicester in Livingston County, before Allegany County was formed. Angelica is the oldest town in Allegany County. The town hall is housed in the Old Allegany County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Belvidere was also listed in 1972, and the Moses Van Campen House was listed in 2004.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Angelica, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,8001850190019502000Peak: 1,749

Peaked at 1,749 in 1890; 1,284 people lived here in 2020.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Timeline

Angelica, 1805 to 1906

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1805
    FoundingAngelica is established
  3. 1851Born hereCharles d'Autremont is born here
  4. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 1,749
  5. 20th century
  6. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Angelica, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Heritage Clock, West Main Street2021Heritage Clock, West Main StreetAmish buggy on West Main Street2021Amish buggy on West Main StreetInterstate 86 looking west2020Interstate 86 looking westAngelicaFreeLibraryStainedGlassWindow2019AngelicaFreeLibraryStainedGlassWindowAngelicaFreeLibraryPlaque2019AngelicaFreeLibraryPlaqueAngelicaFreeLibraryCommunityRoom2019AngelicaFreeLibraryCommunityRoomNY19 North Sign2018NY19 North SignHistoric Post Office, Angelica, New York, October 20152015Historic Post Office, Angelica, New York, October 2015Marcus Whitman, pathfinder and patriot (30-2)2014Marcus Whitman, pathfinder and patriot (30-2)Old Allegany County Courthouse 2012-09-29 22-00-462012Old Allegany County Courthouse 2012-09-29 22-00-46The Magnolia House2007The Magnolia HouseSt Pauls Episcopal Church2007St Pauls Episcopal ChurchResidential House Main St2007Residential House Main StPost Office2007Post OfficeHeritage Coffee House Interior2007Heritage Coffee House InteriorHeritage Coffee House Exterior2007Heritage Coffee House ExteriorAngelica Inn2007Angelica InnAngelica Gallery2007Angelica Gallery
On the map

Angelica on the map, 1906 to 1978

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

Angelica on the 1906 USGS mapAngelica on the 1941 USGS mapAngelica on the 1964 USGS mapAngelica on the 1978 USGS map1906Angelica 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 Angelica.

Every building

Angelica, building by building, 1888–1909

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.

Angelica fire insurance map, 1888, sheet 11888Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

2 listings protect 98 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
98
each building in a district counts

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

Questions about Angelica’s history

What year was Angelica founded?

In 1805, according to Wikidata. Angelica’s post office opened in 1809, and the census of 1820 counted 1,510 people here.

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 (18), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.