History · Arcade

Arcade dates to 1807, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns. What drives it

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district. Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 1820.

1807founded

1on the National Register

36%homes built before 1940

4famous people

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Quick answers

How Arcade began

When was Arcade founded?

1807

Arcade dates its founding to 1807 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 780 in 18202020 census: 1,908219 years

How historic is Arcade?

A⁻

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1823.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Arcade’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Arcade is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

A⁻

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Arcade’s overall grade.

Founding era1807, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA⁻Homes built before 194036.0% of homes (±7.5) · typical NY town 26.6% · U.S. 8.4%A National Register1 listing, 5.2 per 10,000 residents · typical NY town 12.3 · U.S. 2.4C⁺

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 82%

NewerOlder

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 Arcade’s 5.2 sits near the middle of its state (35% of New York towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1807.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.5 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 Arcade’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 Arcade are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1830 and 1840, then more than doubled.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1894 to 1912, drew every building in Arcade.Deep rootsEstablished in 1807: 219 years of Arcade.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Arcade’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Arcade’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

People over time

Arcade, census by census

Lost a third of its people between 1830 and 1840, then more than doubled.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Every building

Arcade, building by building, 1894–1912

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.

Arcade fire insurance map, 1894, sheet 1

1894Sheet 1 of 1

Edition

Sheets

BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Arcade came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Arcade.

Read it all →

The Town of Arcade was established in 1807 as the "Town of China." The name changed to Arcade in 1866. Arcade was previously part of the Town of Sheldon.

The Arcade and Attica Railroad provides freight service along its right-of-way and excursions in passenger trains powered by steam locomotives.

The Arcade Center Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Arcade, 1807 to 2020

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

19th century
1807
FoundingArcade is established
1854Born hereFrank D. Jackson is born here
1857Born hereDana Malone is born here
1871Born hereJohn Knight is born here
1896Born hereGladys Hulette is born here
20th century
1923On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
21st century
2020CensusPopulation peaks at 4,220

On the map

Arcade on the map, 1923 to 1979

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

1923Arcade 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 Arcade.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Arcade

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

place listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

2026

Arcade Downtown Historic District

All 1 listings

Arcade Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2026

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Arcade

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →

Gladys HuletteAmerican actress · b. 1896

Frank D. JacksonAmerican politician · b. 1854

Dana MalonePolitician in Massachusetts, US · b. 1857

John KnightAmerican lawyer and politician from New York · b. 1871

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Freedom1 historic placeB⁺

Questions about Arcade’s history

What year was Arcade founded?

In 1807, according to Wikidata. Arcade’s post office opened in 1823, and the census of 1820 counted 780 people here.

How does Arcade rank for history?

Arcade is more historic than 82% 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 Arcade?

One place: the Arcade Downtown Historic District (listed 2026).

How old are the homes in Arcade?

36% of Arcade’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.5 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1962.

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 (1), 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.

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