Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 87% of U.S. towns · #316 of 758 in New York. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1820.
Brutus dates its founding to 1802 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1820.
More historic than 87% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brutus is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #316 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
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 Brutus’ 14.1 sits near the middle of its state (51% of New York towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brutus’s history is told.
Lost half of its people between 1820 and 1830, then more than doubled.
21 censuses, 1820–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Brutus’ Wikipedia page.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Brutus. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Brutus.
From Wikipedia’s history of Brutus.
Brutus was within the Central New York Military Tract. The town was established in March 1802 splitting from the town of Aurelius. the first town meeting was held 1 year later in March 1803
On August 14, 2021, a bus headed to Niagara Falls crashed just west of exit 40 (Thruway), injuring at least 57 people.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Brutus, cut from the printed page as they were published.
wise, of course fell to Antony. As he stood over the body of Brutus, he slightly reproached him for the death of his brother Caius, whom, in revenge for the death of Cicero, Brutus had slain in Macedonia. It appeared, however, that Antony did not impute the death of Caius so much to Brutus as to Hortensius ; for he ordered the latter to be slain upon his brother's tomb. He threw his purple robe over the body of Brutus, and ordered one of his freedmen
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Next morning, as soon as it was light, the scarlet robe, which was the signal for battle, was hung out in the tents of Brutus and Cassius ; and they themselves met on the plain between the two armies. On this occasion, Cassius thus addressed himself to Brutus ; — " May the gods, Brutus, make this day successful, that we may pass the rest of our days together in prosperity. But as the most important of human events are the most uncertain ; and as we may
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The heavy expenses for the support of the poor led the supervisors, at their session in 1825, to proceed to the erection of a county poor house. It was built upon the farm of Thomas Stevenson in the town of Brutus. The building was completed in 1826, and fifty-two inmates were received. In 1827 the number had risen to one hundred and fifty. Pauperism was much greater in those days, per capita, than it is at present.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereJoseph M. Root is born here
Born hereHorace S. Eldredge is born here
Born hereDoctor Willard Bliss is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
In the archiveCayuga County, Right Page (Map of town ofOne decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Brutus had its own post office from 1815 to 1831.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1802, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Brutus’ post office opened in 1815, and the census of 1820 counted 3,579 people here.
Brutus is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #316 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.
4 listings: 3 buildings and 1 structure. 6 historic buildings in all.
30% of Brutus’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1974.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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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