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History · Chateaugay

Chateaugay dates to 1796, and 63% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1820.

1796founded
0on the National Register
63%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Chateaugay’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Chateaugay began

When was Chateaugay founded?

1796

Chateaugay dates its founding to 1796 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 828 in 18202020 census: 735230 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1807.The full story ↓

What stands out about Chateaugay’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Chateaugay’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 3,728 in 1850; 1,743 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1884 to 1912, drew every building in Chateaugay.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Chateaugay’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewChateaugay (Township): stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Chateaugay came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Chateaugay.

Read it all →

The town was formed in 1799 before Franklin County was established, from parts of the towns of Champlain and Plattsburgh. By 1802, Chateaugay comprised most of Franklin County. Subsequently, its territory was reduced to form other towns. The town of Malone was set off from Chateaugay in 1805. When Franklin County was established from Clinton County, part of Chateaugay remained in Clinton County. The town of St. Armand was taken off in 1822 and placed in Essex County. The remaining three towns derived from Chateaugay remained in Franklin County: Bellmont (1833) and Franklin (taken from Bellmont in 1834), and Burke (1844).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Chateaugay, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0001850190019502000Peak: 3,728

Peaked at 3,728 in 1850; 1,743 people lived here in 2020.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Timeline

Chateaugay, 1796 to 1915

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1796
    FoundingChateaugay is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1805Born hereTheodorus Bailey is born here
  5. 1809Born hereNathaniel Platt Bailey is born here
  6. 1850CensusPopulation peaks at 3,728
  7. 1856Born hereOrville Gibson is born here
  8. 1876In the archiveChateaugay (Township)
  9. 20th century
  10. 1915On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Chateaugay, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
Chateaugay (Township)1876Chateaugay (Township)
Date unknown1 to date
Powerscourt Bridge, Spanning Chateauguay River, First Concession Road, Elgin/Hichinbrooke, Huntingdon County, Quebec, C…Date?Powerscourt Bridge, Spanning Chateauguay River, First…
Today8 recent
The Chateaugay-Herdman Border Crossing connects the towns of Hinchinbrooke, Quebec to Chateaugay, New York on the Canad…2021The Chateaugay-Herdman Border Crossing connects the t…The Chateaugay-Herdman Border Crossing connects the towns of Hinchinbrooke, Quebec to Chateaugay, New York on the Canad…2021The Chateaugay-Herdman Border Crossing connects the t…The Chateaugay-Herdman Border Crossing connects the towns of Hinchinbrooke, Quebec to Chateaugay, New York on the Canad…2021The Chateaugay-Herdman Border Crossing connects the t…The Chateaugay-Herdman Border Crossing connects the towns of Hinchinbrooke, Quebec to Chateaugay, New York on the Canad…2021The Chateaugay-Herdman Border Crossing connects the t…Untitled photo2017Untitled photoChateaugay NY Village downtown US112014Chateaugay NY Village downtown US11Chateaugay NY Village Sign US112014Chateaugay NY Village Sign US1120131103 110134 Depot St201320131103 110134 Depot St
On the map

Chateaugay on the map, 1915 to 1993

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

Chateaugay on the 1915 USGS mapChateaugay on the 1943 USGS mapChateaugay on the 1964 USGS mapChateaugay on the 1993 USGS map1915Chateaugay 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 Chateaugay.

Every building

Chateaugay, building by building, 1884–1912

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.

Chateaugay fire insurance map, 1884, sheet 11884Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
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.

Chateaugay (Township)
Retake this viewChateaugay (Township), 1876

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Chateaugay

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Orville GibsonAmerican luthier · b. 1856
Theodorus BaileyUnited States Navy admiral · b. 1805
Nathaniel Platt BaileyAmerican merchant and philanthropist · b. 1809

Questions about Chateaugay’s history

What year was Chateaugay founded?

In 1796, according to Wikidata. Chateaugay’s post office opened in 1807, and the census of 1820 counted 828 people here.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.