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1978The story
Read it all →How Delhi came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Delhi.
Delhi was formed from the towns of Kortright, Middletown, and Walton, on March 23, 1798.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
AHistory
History · Delhi
Delhi dates to 1798, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #157 of 758 in New York. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1820.
1798founded
5on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
17old photos & papers
10famous people
Quick answers
How Delhi began
When was Delhi founded?
1798
Delhi dates its founding to 1798 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1820.
First census: 2,285 in 18202020 census: 2,721228 years
How historic is Delhi?
A
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 95% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1801.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Delhi’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Delhi is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #157 of 758 in New York. 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 Delhi’s overall grade.
Founding era1798, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194043.8% of homes (±7.8) · typical NY town 26.6% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register5 listings, 28 historic buildings, 89.3 per 10,000 residents · typical NY town 12.3 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 95%
NewerOlder
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 79%
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 Delhi’s 89.3 sits above most of its state (74% of New York towns have fewer) while its 28 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 (±7.8 points). Two sources give 1798.
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 Delhi’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · By decade
Delhi, decade by decade
8 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1860s–1880s5 items
1890s–1910s6 items
1930s–1970s6 items
1980s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your albumEvery building
Delhi, building by building, 1886–1911
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.
1886Sheet 1 of 3Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the map
Delhi on the map, 1909 to 1982
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Delhi. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1909Delhi sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Delhi.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Delhi in 1914
Passages that mention Delhi, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Delaware County, Iowa, and its people1914 · page 224Read the page →
Read the text
may Hold sjieeil .^b-eting wlieiiever a nmjorit.\- of the Board may deem it necessary "We the C'omt. Elected to i)repair a charter or Articles of Incorporation for the Town of Delhi in Delaware Co Iowa would Very Respt. Submit the above Charter or articles of Incorporation for the Consideration of the People of said Town, done at Delhi Feb 14 1855.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Delaware County, Iowa, and its people1914 · page 65Read the page →
Read the text
Three years had now passed since the commissioners first made strenuous efforts to obtain money with which to enter the quarter section on which the county seat was located. The Town of Delhi had been platted but no lots could be sold, or rather no title could be given, until the county had received its patent from the Government. The town was only one in name. The only building was the courthouse, partially constructed by the settlers. It was now high time that persistent efforts to raise the money should be inaugurated, and on the 8th of October, 1844, the commissioners acted as follows: "Ordered,
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
Delhi, 1798 to 1930
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 18th century
- 1798FoundingDelhi is established
- 19th century
- 1819
Born hereFrederick Steele is born here - 1827
Born hereCandace Wheeler is born here - 1836
Born hereFerris Jacobs, Jr. is born here - 1869
In the archiveDelhi (Township); Delhi Business Directory - 1872
Born hereLafayette Mendel is born here - 1887
In the archiveDelhi NY 1887 - 1890
In the archiveSouth Main Steet - 20th century
- 1906
In the archiveSoldiers Monument and Court House Square - 1909
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1912
In the archiveDelhi, N.Y., Watauga Falls - 1930
In the archiveFranklin D. Roosevelt in
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewDelhi (Township); Delhi Business Directory, 1869
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Delhi’s page.
Retake this view · +15On the National Register
5 listings protect 28 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
28
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Delhi, census by census
Between 2,116 and 5,295 people in every census since 1820.
21 censuses, 1820–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Delhi’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →10 famous people were born in Delhi
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Help out
Finish Delhi’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
5 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Questions about Delhi’s history
What year was Delhi founded?
In 1798, according to Wikidata. Delhi’s post office opened in 1801, and the census of 1820 counted 2,285 people here.
How does Delhi rank for history?
Delhi is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #157 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.
How old are the homes in Delhi?
44% of Delhi’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.8 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1953.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
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 (8), 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.