Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The Davenport post office opened in 1819, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Roseville (1812) and Fergusonville (1853), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
More historic than 71% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Davenport is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #516 of 758 in New York. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Davenport’s 6.8 sits near the middle of its state (40% of New York towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Davenport’s history is told.
Davenport’s post office has been open since 1819. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Lost half of its people between 1860 and 1930, then more than doubled.
21 censuses, 1820–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Davenport’s Wikipedia page.
From Wikipedia’s history of Davenport.
The town was formed in 1817 from part of the towns of Kortright and Meredith. Davenport is named after an early settler, John Davenport, who also became the first town supervisor.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Davenport, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The moiety of the manor settled on the Davenports of Davenport, by inquisitions postmortem, is shown to have been held by Sir Ealph Davenport of Davenport, his son Ealph, and Ralph of the thirteenth generation ; also John Davenport of Davenport, of the fourteenth generation, his son John, and ^so by his grandson John Davenport of Davenport.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In witness whereof the said Abigail Davenport, John Davenport, James Pierpont, Elizabeth Davenport and Mary Davenport have hereunto set our hands and seals the day and year first above written.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
“Tt certainly does.” Larcher’s puzzled eyes alighted on the table drawer. He gave an inward start, reminded of the money in Davenport's possession at their last meeting. Davenport had surely taken that money with him on leaving the house the next morning. Larcher opened his lips, but something checked him. He had come by the knowledge of that money ina way that seemed to warrant
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
“T should think so. Let’s put these queer things together in chronological order. He writes a note to Murray Davenport about a meeting to occur between them; some weeks later he is seen coming from the place Murray Davenport was last seen going into; within a few days of that, he shadows the movements of Murray Davenport’s friend Larcher; within a few more days he takes a room
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In the archiveTown of Davenport (Township); Davenport P.O. (Village); Fergusonville (Village); West Dav…
Born hereArthur G. Crane is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyOne decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Davenport. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Davenport.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Davenport’s page.
Retake this view · +15The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Davenport post office opened in 1819, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Davenport is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #516 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.
One place: the United Presbyterian Church of Davenport (listed 2017).
16% of Davenport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.7 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1984.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (1), Wikidata (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.
