Cortlandt dates to 1788, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 81% of U.S. towns · #405 of 758 in New York. What drives it
14 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and two historic districts with 36 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1986 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1818.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cortlandt’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cortlandt is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #405 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cortlandt’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 Cortlandt’s 12.4 sits near the middle of its state (50% of New York towns have fewer) while its 52 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1788.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.3 points) is firm at this size.
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 Cortlandt’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
BoscobellocaleBuchanan Elementary School Number 6schoolCroton AirparkairportCrugers ParkparkEmery MinesmineHarmon Drive-InlocaleHessian Hill SchoolschoolHollowbrook Drive-InlocaleIndian Point ParkparkPublic School Number 1school
The Bear Mountain Bridge Road and Toll House and the Old Croton Dam are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Cortlandt area is known for its Revolutionary War history, specifically the location of the strategic King's Ferry between Stony Point and Verplanck's Point, which George Washington's army used to cross the Hudson on its march to Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781. John Trumbull's full-length oil portrait of Washington at Verplanck's Point exists in two versions.
Passages that mention Cortlandt, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Historical sketch of the Van Cortlandt house ..1903 · page XVIRead the page →
Read the text
At this time a picket-guard of Hessians, the green yagers, were garrisoned in the Van Cortlandt House. From the British "barrier" at King's Bridge, north to the Croton River extended the Neutral Ground, and the country immediately surrounding the house was the scene of constant military activity. Here were the camps of the yagers, mounted and foot, of Emmerick's chasseurs and Simcoe's rangers, and the numerous attempts of the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Historical sketch of the Van Cortlandt house ..1903Read the page →
Read the text
were withdrawn to New York, the people returned to their homes, or the ruins of them, and on the I2th of November, 1783, General Washington, after spending the night at the Van Cortlandt House, rode victorious, over King's Bridge. The history of the country adjacent to the Van Cortlandt House, which can be but so lightly and inadequately touched upon here, is bright with many an incident show-
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
Cortlandt, 1665 to 2008
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.
In 1788, according to Wikidata. Cortlandt’s post office opened in 1818, and the first U.S. census counted 1,932 people here in 1790.
How does Cortlandt rank for history?
Cortlandt is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #405 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 Cortlandt?
14 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 9 buildings, among them the Van Cortlandt Manor (a National Historic Landmark since 1961), 2 historic districts, the Asbury United Methodist Church and Bethel Chapel and Cemetery and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Veterans Hospital Historic District, with 36 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 2 structures. 52 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Cortlandt?
18% of Cortlandt’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (14), 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.
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