The Cochecton post office opened in 1811, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Fosterdale (1831), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 438 in 18302020 census: 1,448215 years
How historic is Cochecton?
A
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Cochecton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cochecton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cochecton is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cochecton’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 Cochecton’s 175 sits above most of its state (81% of New York towns have fewer) while its 26 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Cochecton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In the original charter of 1664, Cochecton marked the border between New York and New Jersey. Along the Delaware River, a spot was marked named "station rock." This point formed the meeting point of the borders between New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. After a long dispute - the New York-New Jersey Line War - the final border was set further south, near Port Jervis.
The town was formed from the Town of Bethel in 1828. The Town of Delaware was formed from part of Cochecton in 1869.
Among the pioneer preachers of Cochecton was Elder Enoch Owen, who lived on the turnpike east of the village of Cochecton. He was of the Free Will Baptist faith, and for many years was the only clergyman who resided in the town. He was a man of but little education; but his mind and body and zeal were robust. It cannot be said that he was mercenary ; for he received Httle or no compensation for his labors in his Master's vineyard.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
At Cochecton Falls, the ice formed a dam which caused the river to swell forty feet above its ordinary level ! The jam occurred at 6 o'clock in the morning, and so sudden was the calamity that the residents of the village of Cochecton had not time to flee from their houses before mey were surrounded by water and huge blocks of floating ice. Several dweUings were covered as far as their second stories, and in the church the water reached the pulpit. Merchants abandoned their goods,
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
Cochecton, 1811 to 1976
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
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.
The Cochecton post office opened in 1811, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Cochecton rank for history?
Cochecton is more historic than 92% 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 Cochecton?
12 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Cochecton Presbyterian Church (listed 1992, the first), and 1 site. 26 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Cochecton?
29% of Cochecton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 (11), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (11), 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.
1875
1915
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1976
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