More historic than 54% of U.S. towns · #644 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Dr. Buck-Stevens House. Its Register listing is the Dr. Buck-Stevens House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1915 on, and the census since 1830.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brasher is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #644 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brasher’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 Brasher’s 3.9 sits below most of its state (31% of New York towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.5 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Brasher’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Helena
1827–today
Brasher Falls
1840–today
Brasher Iron Works
1849–1909
Brasher Center
1893–1907
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Brasher CenterBrasher FallsBrasher Iron WorksHelenaIronton
Gone or out of use
School Number 10schoolSchool Number 11schoolSchool Number 13schoolSchool Number 15schoolSchool Number 16schoolSchool Number 17schoolSchool Number 19schoolSchool Number 2schoolSchool Number 22schoolSchool Number 3schoolSchool Number 4schoolSchool Number 4schoolSchool Number 5schoolSchool Number 7schoolToomey Bridgebridge
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Brasher
Brasher Iron WorksCarvilleFairviewFlint ChaffeeRichardsonSaint Patrick
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
People over time
Brasher, census by census
Peaked at 3,578 in 1880; 2,512 people lived here in 2010.
19 censuses, 1830–2010.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Brasher’s Wikipedia page.
Settlement began after 1815, as the town was organized in 1825 from the town of Massena. In 1827, a small part of the town of Lawrence was added to Brasher.
The boundary between Lawrence and Brasher originally continued straight across the St. Regis River to the Stockholm town line. It was changed to follow the center of the river upstream to the Stockholm line. The iron industry played an important part in the early history of the town, initially mining and smelting, but later including the production of stoves and other goods.
Brasher is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #644 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 Brasher?
One place: the Dr. Buck-Stevens House (listed 1982).
How old are the homes in Brasher?
17% of Brasher’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (1), 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), 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.
