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AHistory
History · Callicoon

33% of Callicoon’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns · #221 of 758 in New York. What drives it

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 9 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1850.

3on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Callicoon’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Callicoon’s history

How historic is Callicoon?

A

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Callicoon’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Callicoon is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #221 of 758 in New York. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Callicoon’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194033.2% of homes (±7.8) · typical NY town 26.6% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register3 listings, 11 historic buildings, 36.3 per 10,000 residents · typical NY town 12.3 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 92%
NewerOlder
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 71%

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 Callicoon’s 36.3 sits near the middle of its state (64% of New York towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% 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 (±7.8 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 Callicoon’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Callicoon, and 5 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19213 editions of the USGS map, 1921 to 1965. Watch Callicoon change.Old housesHalf of Callicoon’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Callicoon’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewHarden Theater, Calicoon, New York: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Shandelee, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Jeffersonville
1849–today
North Branch
1851–today
Youngsville
1851–today
Callicoon Center
1906–today
Shandelee
1906–1910
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Callicoon CenterJeffersonvilleNorth BranchShandeleeYoungsville
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Callicoon
Callicoon CenterCalvaryDorrer - InderliedGreen HillYoungsville

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the map

Callicoon on the map, 1921 to 1965

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

Callicoon on the 1921 USGS mapCallicoon on the 1944 USGS mapCallicoon on the 1965 USGS map1921Livingston Manor sheet · 1:62,500

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

The story

How Callicoon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Callicoon.

Read it all →

The town was formed in 1842 from the Town of Liberty. The original spelling of the name was "Collikoon." This name is said to signify "turkey" in both Dutch and Choctaw. The Dutch word for turkey is kalkoen. Although the Choctaw have a word for turkey, cholokloha, the people did not occupy territory anywhere near here, but traditionally lived in the Deep South. They were known as one of the Five Civilized Tribes there before their removal to Indian Territory in the 1830s.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Callicoon in 1873

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

At Callicoon Depot two or three buildings were destroyed, as well as a bridge across the Callicoon. The lumber on the river, almost without an exception, was swept off.
History of Sullivan County1873 · page 213Read the page →
Read the text

At Callicoon Depot two or three buildings were destroyed, as well as a bridge across the Callicoon. The lumber on the river, almost without an exception, was swept off.

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

Callicoon, 1845 to 1978

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1845Born hereGeorge Gosman DeWitt is born here
  3. 1849Post officeThe Jeffersonville post office opens
  4. 1851Post officeThe North Branch post office opens
  5. 1851Post officeThe Youngsville post office opens
  6. 1875In the archiveCounty atlas of Sullivan, New York
  7. 20th century
  8. 1921On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1978In the archiveHarden Theater, Calicoon, New York
By decade

Callicoon, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s2 items
County atlas of Sullivan, New York1875County atlas of Sullivan, New YorkMapCounty atlas of Sullivan, New York1875County atlas of Sullivan, New YorkMap
1970s1 item
Harden Theater, Calicoon, New York1978Harden Theater, Calicoon, New York
1980s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today14 recent
Callicoon from River P62406462011Callicoon from River P6240646Callicoon RR Crossing2011Callicoon RR CrossingCallicoon Creek Bridge (NY 97) P62406502011Callicoon Creek Bridge (NY 97) P6240650Route 972008Route 97Grocery Store2008Grocery StoreGrocery Store 22008Grocery Store 2Central2008CentralCentral Callicoon 52008Central Callicoon 5Central Callicoon 42008Central Callicoon 4Central Callicoon 32008Central Callicoon 3Central Callicoon 22008Central Callicoon 2Callicoon Theater2008Callicoon TheaterCallicoon Depot2008Callicoon DepotCallicoon Hospital2008Callicoon Hospital
Every building

Callicoon, building by building, 1908–1918

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.

Callicoon fire insurance map, 1908, sheet 11908Sheet 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.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Harden Theater, Calicoon, New York
Retake this viewHarden Theater, Calicoon, New York, 1978

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Callicoon’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 listings protect 11 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
11
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Hanford Mill
Hanford MillJeffersonville SchoolHessinger Store
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival1
Greek Revival1
Hanford MillDistrict
Jeffersonville SchoolColonial Revival
All 3 listings
Hessinger StoreBuilding · listed 2000

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

People over time

Callicoon, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5001850190019502000Peak: 3,174

Between 1,671 and 3,174 people in every census since 1850.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Fremont4 historic placesB+Liberty13 historic placesADelaware7 historic placesA+Bethel2 historic placesB+Jeffersonville1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRockland4 historic placesA

Questions about Callicoon’s history

How does Callicoon rank for history?

Callicoon is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #221 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 Callicoon?

Three places: the Hanford Mill (listed 1973), the Jeffersonville School (1988) and the Hessinger Store (2000).

How old are the homes in Callicoon?

33% of Callicoon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.8 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1960.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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, 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.