Danby dates to 1811, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #200 of 758 in New York. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 263 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1814.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Danby’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Danby is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #200 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Danby’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 Danby’s 783 sits above most of its state (94% of New York towns have fewer) while its 263 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% 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 (±8.6 points). Two sources give 1811.
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 Danby’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Cayuga people, one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee, occupied the land at the head of Cayuga Lake for centuries. Indigenous peoples were largely forced out of Upstate New York by the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition in 1779. The land that would become the Town of Danby was a part of the Watkins and Flint Purchase, a 336,380 acre patent granted by New York State to numerous eastern investors in 1794. Danby's first European-American settlers, including Isaac and John Dumond and Jacob and Joseph Yaple, arrived in 1795.
In the history of the town of Danby one of the earliest settlers was Hudson Jennings, who located there in 1807, and the name of Jennings has ever since been familiar to every resident of this section as associated with honor, integrity, and ability. Hudson Jennings was member of assembly in 1820, and represented the then county of Tioga, and was the last member from that county prior to the annexation of the town of Danby to Tompkins county. Ilis brother has also represented his district in the Legislature of New York State. While they have been a family of agriculturists, when the people demanded their services they have left their farms to
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Landmarks of Tompkins county, New York1894 · page 298Read the page →
Read the text
The organization of the town of Danby did not take place until February 22, 1811, when it was taken from the town of wSpencer, Tioga county, and it was annexed to Tompkins county, March 22, J 822. On the 29tli of April, 18^9, a small part of the town of Caroline was annexed to Danby.
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
Danby, 1811 to 2020
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.
In 1811, according to Wikidata. Danby’s post office opened in 1814, and the census of 1820 counted 2,001 people here.
How does Danby rank for history?
Danby is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #200 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 Danby?
One place: the East Hill Historic District (listed 1986).
How old are the homes in Danby?
21% of Danby’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1984.
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 (17), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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