–Not graded

History · Dresden

Dresden dates to 1811, and 63% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1880.

1811founded

2on the National Register

63%homes built before 1940

2old photos & papers

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Dresden’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Dresden began

When was Dresden founded?

1811

Dresden dates its founding to 1811 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 366 in 18802020 census: 293215 years

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1870.The full story ↓

What stands out about Dresden’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Dresden’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19023 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1978. Watch Dresden change.Boom and bustPeaked at 450 in 1970; 293 people lived here in 2020.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dresden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dresden’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old viewDresden, N.Y: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

The story

How Dresden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dresden.

Read it all →

The region was known as "Kashong" (or "Kashanquash") to the natives and was part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase.

At the end of the 18th century, followers of the Public Universal Friend, a religious leader, began to settle in the area. They called the area "Jerusalem" and founded a community near the present site of Dresden.

Dresden was founded in 1811 as a planned community. The Village of Dresden was incorporated in 1867.

Dresden was the eastern terminus for the former Crooked Lake Canal, which operated from 1833 to 1877. This canal linked the area through other lake canals to the Erie Canal.

The Robert Ingersoll Birthplace and Christopher Willis House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Dresden on the map, 1902 to 1978

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dresden. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

1902Ovid 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 Dresden.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Dresden in 1912

Passages that mention Dresden, cut from the printed page as they were published.

**Secret memoirs**1912 · page 301Read the page →
Read the text
Dresden, June 21, 1902. I intended to return at once to Loschwitz, but the King, hearing of my intention and not wishing to provoke another scene, invited my father to come to Dresden "in the interests of his daughter."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

"Well," said Frederick Augustus, "John ordered the Continental express to pick him up at his garrison, and he had no sooner arrived in Dresden than he was commanded by the King to appear before him. His Majesty walked all over John, accusing him of 'interfering with international traffic' and forbi… — **Secret memoirs**1912 · page 48Read the page →
Read the text
"Well," said Frederick Augustus, "John ordered the Continental express to pick him up at his garrison, and he had no sooner arrived in Dresden than he was commanded by the King to appear before him. His Majesty walked all over John, accusing him of 'interfering with international traffic' and forbidding him to issue another order of that character."
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

Dresden, 1811 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

19th century
1811
FoundingDresden is established
20th century
1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1907In the archiveDresden, N.Y
1970CensusPopulation peaks at 450

By decade

Dresden, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s2 items

1907Dresden, N.Y

1907N.Y.G. Station

1910s–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 album

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 viewDresden, N.Y, 1907

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Dresden’s page.

Retake this view · +15

On the National Register

2 historic places in Dresden

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

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

Dresden, census by census

Peaked at 450 in 1970; 293 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dresden’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Dresden’s history

What year was Dresden founded?

In 1811, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Dresden’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1880 counted 366 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (22), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.

Post to Dresden

Check your email