Founding year: the first Cold Spring post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1846.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cold Spring’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cold Spring is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cold Spring’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 Cold Spring’s 1,186 sits above most of its state (97% of New York towns have fewer) while its 221 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% 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 (±6.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1846 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Cold Spring’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cold Spring. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1892West Point 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 Cold Spring.
Every building
Cold Spring, building by building, 1887–1912
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.
On July 15, 1691, Dortlandt and Sybrant secured a deed to the tract from Wappinger leaders, totaling as many as 17,480 acres (according to recent historical analysis) along the eastern bank of the Hudson River from the peak on Anthony's Nose to (and including) Pollepel Island, and east to a marked tree which would establish the tract's eastern border. This tract contained a large portion of modern-day Philipstown, New York, including the entire the Village of Cold Spring.
Passages that mention Cold Spring, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Putnam County, New York1886 · page 139Read the page →
Read the text
act passed April 14th, 1815. By this act, Samuel Gouverneur, Amos Belden, David Knapp, Samuel Townsend, John Haight and others were incorporated as a company, "for the purpose of making a good and sufBcient road from Cold Spring landing, in the town of Philipstown, and running from thence' the most direct and common route, in a northeasterly direction, by way of the ore bed, Milltown', Abel Peak's tavern*, and Joseph White's tavern, to the meeting house in the town of Patterson,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Putnam County, New York1886 · page 586Read the page →
Read the text
On the 27th of July, 1S70, Mr. W. A. -Browning, the agent of the Fishkill National Bank, was in the village of Cold Spring. While going to the railroad station with a large amount of money in his possession he was attacked by one John P.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Putnam County, N.Y.1849 · page 149Read the page →
Read the text
Cold Spring Village. — Thomas Davenport, greatgrandfather to Wilham Davenport, Esq., of Nelsonville, came from England about 1715, and built the first house at Cold Spring. It was burnt down while his son William was living in it.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Putnam County, N.Y.1849 · page 158Read the page →
Read the text
Cold Spring Village. — This is the largest village in the town or county, and the only incorporated one in it. The Act, incorporating it, was passed by the Legislature, April 22, 1846. Vide chap. 102, Session Laws of 1846. It is twenty miles from Carmel, and one and a half from West Point. It covers a large extent of ground, embracing what is called the Foundry district. The west end of the village, from the
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.
By decade
Cold Spring, decade by decade
4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 Cold Spring post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1846.
How does Cold Spring rank for history?
Cold Spring is more historic than 98% 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 Cold Spring?
41% of Cold Spring’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1958.
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 (9), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
![[View in] ... Cold Springs](https://images.townratings.com/story/11404/9374d735c9bb710bef28-s.jpg)
c. 1855
c. 1855
c. 1855
c. 1855
c. 1855
1856
c. 1875