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B+History
History · Castleton-on-Hudson

Castleton-on-Hudson dates to 1827, and 54% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1870.

1827founded
0on the National Register
54%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Castleton-on-Hudson began

When was Castleton-on-Hudson founded?

1827

Castleton-on-Hudson dates its founding to 1827 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 580 in 18702020 census: 1,477199 years

How historic is Castleton-on-Hudson?

B+

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1926.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Castleton-on-Hudson’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Castleton-on-Hudson is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Castleton-on-Hudson’s overall grade.
Founding era1827, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194054.0% of homes (±8.1) · typical NY town 26.6% · U.S. 8.4%A+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical NY town 12.3 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 73%
NewerOlder

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 Castleton-on-Hudson’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of New York towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1827.
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 (±8.1 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Castleton-on-Hudson’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 Castleton-on-Hudson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Castleton-on-Hudson’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsEstablished in 1827: 199 years of Castleton-on-Hudson.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Castleton-on-Hudson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Castleton-on-Hudson’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Castleton-on-Hudson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Castleton-on-Hudson.

Read it all →

Castleton gets its name from the exploration of the North (Hudson) River by Henry Hudson. While traveling up the river, he came upon a Mahican Indian village noted for a large structure located on a rise above the river. This structure was a storehouse for foodstuffs, but was of such size that it was thought to be a "castle". Another theory for the derivation of the name "Castleton" comes from Rutherford Hayner's Troy and Rensselaer County New York: A History (1925). Hayner states "Although the exact location of this landing of Hudson's has been more or less conjectural, the weight of opinion places it at or near the present site of the village of Castleton, for on Castle Hill, back of the village, stood the dwelling of the chief of the Mohicans."

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Castleton-on-Hudson, 1827 to 1953

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1827
    FoundingCastleton-on-Hudson is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1905Born hereDouglas Hudson is born here
  5. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Castleton-on-Hudson, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Artists Hall Of Fame in2021Artists Hall Of Fame in1st Street in20211st Street in1800s-era building in20211800s-era building inAmtrak Hudson Line2014Amtrak Hudson Line"High Speed Trains" Highway Sign2014"High Speed Trains" Highway SignSmith Memorial Bridge2009Smith Memorial Bridge
On the map

Castleton-on-Hudson on the map, 1953 to 1980

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

Castleton-on-Hudson on the 1953 USGS mapCastleton-on-Hudson on the 1978 USGS mapCastleton-on-Hudson on the 1980 USGS map1953East Greenbush sheet · 1:24,000

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

People over time

Castleton-on-Hudson, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,80018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,752

Between 580 and 1,752 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Questions about Castleton-on-Hudson’s history

What year was Castleton-on-Hudson founded?

In 1827, according to Wikidata. Castleton-on-Hudson’s post office opened in 1926, and the census of 1870 counted 580 people here.

How does Castleton-on-Hudson rank for history?

Castleton-on-Hudson is more historic than 73% 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.

How old are the homes in Castleton-on-Hudson?

54% of Castleton-on-Hudson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.1 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1938.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.