–Not graded

History · Brownville

Brownville dates to 1799, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

6 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1884 on and the census since 1820.

1799founded

6on the National Register

53%homes built before 1940

1famous people

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Quick answers

How Brownville began, and where its name came from

When was Brownville founded?

1799

Brownville dates its founding to 1799 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 3,990 in 18202020 census: 930227 years

How did Brownville get its name?

Brownville’s name is derived from the founder and first settler, Jacob Brown, who was a major-general in the United States Army and is considered to be a heroic figure in the War of 1812.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1803. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Brownville’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 Brownville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1850 and 1880, then more than doubled.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1884 to 1915, drew every building in Brownville.Old housesHalf of Brownville’s homes were built before 1938.

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The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brownville’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

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People over time

Brownville, census by census

Lost a third of its people between 1850 and 1880, then more than doubled.

20 censuses, 1820–2010.

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

Every building

Brownville, building by building, 1884–1915

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.

Brownville fire insurance map, 1884, sheet 1

1884Sheet 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 Brownville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Brownville.

Read it all →

The town was settled around 1799 near Brownville village. It was one of the first towns in the county. Its name is derived from the founder and first settler, Jacob Brown, who was a major-general in the United States Army and is considered to be a heroic figure in the War of 1812.

The town was formed in 1802 from the town of Leyden while still part of Herkimer County.

Many of the northern towns of the county were established, or partly established, from parts of Brownville, including Le Ray (1806), Lyme (1818), Pamelia (1819), Orleans (1821), and Alexandria (1821).

In 1828, the community of Brownville set itself off from the town by incorporating as a village.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Brownville, 1854–1895

Passages that mention Brownville, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The village of Brownville, aside from the town of that name, is somewhat difficult to describe concisely. In the early settlement of the county, no town, Watertown not excepted, was more important, and none maintained, for many years, a more persistent determination to be "on top," and become a lea… — **The growth of a century**1895 · page 457Read the page →
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The village of Brownville, aside from the town of that name, is somewhat difficult to describe concisely. In the early settlement of the county, no town, Watertown not excepted, was more important, and none maintained, for many years, a more persistent determination to be "on top," and become a leading town of the Black River country.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Lyme. 203 for malignant fevers), the district has enjoyed exemption from these evils. In 1803, a state road was laid out from Brownville to Putnam's Ferry, through the town, and on the 31st of March, 1815, an act was passed authorizing James Le Ray de Chaumont to build a turnpike from Cape Vincent … — **A history of Jefferson County in the state of New York**1854 · page 203Read the page →
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Lyme. 203 for malignant fevers), the district has enjoyed exemption from these evils. In 1803, a state road was laid out from Brownville to Putnam's Ferry, through the town, and on the 31st of March, 1815, an act was passed authorizing James Le Ray de Chaumont to build a turnpike from Cape Vincent to Perch river, at or near where the state road crossed the same, in the town of Brownville. The road was to be surveyed and laid out under
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

At the town meeting, in 1821, the clerk read three notices for the division of the town, which were not voted. The first was to annex a part of Brownville to Pamelia; the second, a part of Brownville to Le Ray, and the third to erect four new towns from Brownville and Le Ray. In 1822, a motion to a… — **A history of Jefferson County in the state of New York**1854 · page 97Read the page →
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At the town meeting, in 1821, the clerk read three notices for the division of the town, which were not voted. The first was to annex a part of Brownville to Pamelia; the second, a part of Brownville to Le Ray, and the third to erect four new towns from Brownville and Le Ray. In 1822, a motion to annex Pamelia to Brownville was defeated.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

" Your petitioner therefore humbly requests your honorable body to authorize him, by law, to make a turnpike road from the village of Chaumont, in the town of Brownville, to the village of Cape Vincent, on the River St. Lawrence, and from the Black River, opposite the village of Watertown, to inter… — **History of Jefferson County, New York**1878 · page 116Read the page →
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" Your petitioner therefore humbly requests your honorable body to authorize him, by law, to make a turnpike road from the village of Chaumont, in the town of Brownville, to the village of Cape Vincent, on the River St. Lawrence, and from the Black River, opposite the village of Watertown, to intersect the St. Lawrence Turnpike Road at or near where the same crosses the Indian River, in the town of Le Ray; upon such conditions and under such limitations and restrictions as you, in your wisdom, shall think fit to impose. And he,
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

Brownville, 1799 to 2010

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

18th century
1799
FoundingBrownville is established
19th century
1877Born hereTruesdel Peck Calkins is born here
20th century
1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
21st century
2010CensusPopulation peaks at 6,263

By decade

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On the map

Brownville on the map, 1943 to 1982

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

1943Brownville sheet · 1:31,680

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Brownville.

On the National Register

6 historic places in Brownville

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

places listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Hounsfield18 historic placesA⁺Glen ParkIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Brownville’s history

What year was Brownville founded?

In 1799, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Brownville’s post office opened in 1803, and the census of 1820 counted 3,990 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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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 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.

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