1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 1 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1915 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Burke’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Burke 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 Burke’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 Burke’s 7.8 sits near the middle of its state (42% of New York towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1800.
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 (±9.4 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 Burke’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
Burke’s post office has been open since 1844. Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
West Chateaugay
1829–1844
Burke
1844–today
Andrusville
1852–1872
North Burke
1853–1861
Burke Centre
1872–1886
Thayer Corners
1872–1906
Sun
1886–1908
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Burke CenterNorth BurkeSunThayer Corners
Gone or out of use
Adirondack QuarrymineFee SchoolschoolSchool Number 11schoolSchool Number 13schoolSchool Number 14schoolSchool Number 15schoolSchool Number 3schoolSchool Number 5schoolSchool Number 7schoolSchool Number 9school
The town was first settled prior to 1800. The area was known as "West Chateaugay," and was proposed to be the town of "Birney," but the name "Burke" was selected instead, presumably for Edmund Burke, the British statesman. The town of Burke was formed in 1844 from the town of Chateaugay.
Almanzo Wilder, often thought to be a native of nearby Malone, actually grew up on a farm in Burke. He was the husband of Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder, who told his story in the novel Farmer Boy. The son of James and Angeline Day Wilder, he was born on his family's farm on February 13, 1857. In 1875, the family left to settle in Minnesota.
In 1800, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Burke’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1850 counted 2,477 people here.
How does Burke rank for history?
Burke 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 Burke?
One place: the Wilder Homestead (listed 2014).
How old are the homes in Burke?
33% of Burke’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.4 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1979.
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, 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.
