Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1850.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Brewster’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brewster is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #479 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brewster’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 Brewster’s 15.9 sits near the middle of its state (53% of New York towns have fewer) while its 4 listings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1894.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Brewster’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The village of Brewster derives its name from that of the landowner, Walter Brewster, who invited the New York and Harlem Railroad to build a depot on his property in 1848. Brewster's Station, New York (sometimes just "Brewster's"), appeared on maps, on postcards, and in directories of Putnam County throughout the second half of the 19th century. It was officially incorporated as the Village of Brewster, New York, in 1894.
Passages that mention Brewster, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Putnam County, New York1886 · page 461Read the page →
Read the text
Brewster Hill. — Xorth of the village of Brewster and on the east side of Lake Tonetta is an elevated ridge of land. It takes its name from Samuel Brewster, who came to the town from Rockland county about 18-20. His father, Samuel Brewster, was a prominent citizen and an extensive land owner in
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Putnam County, New York1886 · page 303Read the page →
Read the text
for the work was hindered by constant delays. The first train from Carmel was on December 23d, 1880, and six passengers and thii-ty-nine cans of milk were the first freight. The road was finished to Brewster in February, 1881. The bridge over the railroad, at the Carmel depot, was built in October, 1871,
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
Brewster, 1820 to 2020
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.
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.
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 1894, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Brewster’s post office opened in 1850, and the census of 1860 counted 176 people here.
How does Brewster rank for history?
Brewster is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #479 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.
How old are the homes in Brewster?
50% of Brewster’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 (3), Wikidata (3), 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.
1887